Low back pain prevalence and risk factors among health workers in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objectives Low back pain (LBP) has a major impact on health workers, and its prevalence and risk factors among them in Saudi Arabia have been investigated previously. However, the results have never been comprehensively reviewed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the available literature to identify the prevalence and risk factors of LBP among health workers in Saudi Arabia. Methods MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, and Saudi peer‐reviewed journals were searched for relevant literature. After quality assessment of the eligible articles, 18 studies targeting seven occupational categories, with a total number of 5345 health workers, were analyzed. Results Pooled prevalence rates of 40.8% (n = 7 studies), 65.0% (n = 13 studies), and 81.4% (n = 2 studies) were obtained for week, year, and career, respectively, across all professional groups. Nurses and physical therapists were more susceptible to LBP, in that order, than the other categories considering week and career periods. Age, body mass index, and female gender were the most commonly reported individual risk factors. Occupational risk factors mainly included work‐related activities requiring back bending and twisting, lifting and pulling objects, and manual patient‐handling. Conclusions The results of this review indicate that LBP is highly prevalent among health workers in Saudi Arabia when compared with international rates. Proper prophylactic measures are necessary to reduce LBP and minimize its consequences. Further high‐quality research is needed in different Saudi regions to achieve a broader understanding of LBP prevalence and causes.

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“…Furthermore, our results demonstrated a signi cant association between job dissatisfaction and increased knee pain. These results are consistent with other studies showing that job-related stress and high physical demands can lead to musculoskeletal pain (Lee et al, 2020). This emphasizes the need to improve working conditions and increase job satisfaction among hospital employees to reduce the incidence of knee pain.…”

Occupational and Environmental Factors Contributing to Knee Pain in Hospital Staff: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study in Iran

“…Furthermore, our results demonstrated a signi cant association between job dissatisfaction and increased knee pain. These results are consistent with other studies showing that job-related stress and high physical demands can lead to musculoskeletal pain (Lee et al, 2020). This emphasizes the need to improve working conditions and increase job satisfaction among hospital employees to reduce the incidence of knee pain.…”

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“…However, the impact of sex differed in some countries. For example, men in Turkey and Saudi Arabia have higher rehabilitation needs due to low back pain than women, which was consistent with the previous studies ( 32 , 33 ). The reason might be that more original studies included in the GBD study 2019 were conducted on the healthcare staff rather than the general population.…”

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“…The variation may be due to differences in occupation or working environments or differences in the implementation of control measures and safety practices. For example, the current study found that the prevalence of low back pain among nurses was 65.4%, which was relatively consistent with the work done in Saudi Arabia and Iran that found that the prevalence of low back pain was 65.0% and 61.2%, respectively (51,54).…”

Occupational and Environmental Factors Contributing to Knee Pain in Hospital Staff: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study in Iran

“…Furthermore, our results demonstrated a signi cant association between job dissatisfaction and increased knee pain. These results are consistent with other studies showing that job-related stress and high physical demands can lead to musculoskeletal pain (Lee et al, 2020). This emphasizes the need to improve working conditions and increase job satisfaction among hospital employees to reduce the incidence of knee pain.…”

Trends in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Needs in China From 1990 to 2030: A Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort Modeling Study

“…However, the impact of sex differed in some countries. For example, men in Turkey and Saudi Arabia have higher rehabilitation needs due to low back pain than women, which was consistent with the previous studies ( 32 , 33 ). The reason might be that more original studies included in the GBD study 2019 were conducted on the healthcare staff rather than the general population.…”

Occupational Related Upper and Low Back Pain Among Working Population of Ethiopia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The variation may be due to differences in occupation or working environments or differences in the implementation of control measures and safety practices. For example, the current study found that the prevalence of low back pain among nurses was 65.4%, which was relatively consistent with the work done in Saudi Arabia and Iran that found that the prevalence of low back pain was 65.0% and 61.2%, respectively (51,54).…”

Occupational and Environmental Factors Contributing to Knee Pain in Hospital Staff: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study in Iran

“…Furthermore, our results demonstrated a signi cant association between job dissatisfaction and increased knee pain. These results are consistent with other studies showing that job-related stress and high physical demands can lead to musculoskeletal pain (Lee et al, 2020). This emphasizes the need to improve working conditions and increase job satisfaction among hospital employees to reduce the incidence of knee pain.…”

Trends in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Needs in China From 1990 to 2030: A Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort Modeling Study

“…However, the impact of sex differed in some countries. For example, men in Turkey and Saudi Arabia have higher rehabilitation needs due to low back pain than women, which was consistent with the previous studies ( 32 , 33 ). The reason might be that more original studies included in the GBD study 2019 were conducted on the healthcare staff rather than the general population.…”

Occupational Related Upper and Low Back Pain Among Working Population of Ethiopia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The variation may be due to differences in occupation or working environments or differences in the implementation of control measures and safety practices. For example, the current study found that the prevalence of low back pain among nurses was 65.4%, which was relatively consistent with the work done in Saudi Arabia and Iran that found that the prevalence of low back pain was 65.0% and 61.2%, respectively (51,54).…”