Abstract

Background:
Worldwide, LBP prevalence in the general population has been reported to be between 15% and 45%. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), LBP prevalence was reported to range from 18.8% to 53.5% in the general population. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of LBP and risk factors among the adult population in Bisha.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of adults living in Bisha and the adjacent area in Saudi Arabia was conducted. The data were gathered via a self-administered online survey. The Mann‒Whitney test and the chi-square test were used to compare individuals with and without low back pain. The presence of low back discomfort (yes or no) was compared to risk factors using multiple binary logistic regression analysis. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) calculations were made.

Results: The total number of participants was 350. The prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among the participants was 242 individuals (69.1%). A history of LBP was statistically significantly associated with some sociodemographic characteristics, including sex (p value = 0.002) and age (p value= 0.002). Some risk factors were statistically significantly associated with a history of LBP: history of diabetes mellitus (p value=0.048) and thyroid disease (p value= 0.056).

Conclusions: With more than a sixth of the sample reporting back discomfort, low back pain is very common in the Saudi adult population. This report urges action toward the creation of management, prevention, and education programs for society.

Key words: Low back pain, Prevalence, Risk factors, Cross-sectional, Saudi Arabia