Publication: Risk factors and disability associated with low back pain in older adults in low- and middle-income countries. Results from the WHO study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE)
Issued Date
2015-06-04
Resource Type
ISSN
19326203
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-84934962450
Rights
Mahidol University
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
PLoS ONE. Vol.10, No.6 (2015)
Suggested Citation
Jennifer Stewart Williams, Nawi Ng, Karl Peltzer, Alfred Yawson, Richard Biritwum, Tamara Maximova, Fan Wu, Perianayagam Arokiasamy, Paul Kowal, Somnath Chatterji Risk factors and disability associated with low back pain in older adults in low- and middle-income countries. Results from the WHO study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE). PLoS ONE. Vol.10, No.6 (2015). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127880 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/35149
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Authors
Journal Issue
Thesis
Title
Risk factors and disability associated with low back pain in older adults in low- and middle-income countries. Results from the WHO study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE)
Other Contributor(s)
Umea Universitet
Hunter Medical Research Institute, Australia
Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa
University of the Free State
Mahidol University
University of Ghana
N.A. Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health
Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention
International Institute for Population Sciences
Organisation Mondiale de la Sante
Hunter Medical Research Institute, Australia
Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa
University of the Free State
Mahidol University
University of Ghana
N.A. Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health
Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention
International Institute for Population Sciences
Organisation Mondiale de la Sante
Abstract
© 2015 Stewart Williams et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: Back pain is a common disabling chronic condition that burdens individuals, families and societies. Epidemiological evidence, mainly from high-income countries, shows positive association between back pain prevalence and older age. There is an urgent need for accurate epidemiological data on back pain in adult populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where populations are ageing rapidly. The objectives of this study are to: measure the prevalence of back pain; identify risk factors and determinants associated with back pain, and describe association between back pain and disability in adults aged 50 years and older, in six LMICs from different regions of the world. The findings provide insights into country-level differences in self-reported back pain and disability in a group of socially, culturally, economically and geographically diverse LMICs. Methods: Standardized national survey data collected from adults (50 years and older) participating in the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) were analysed. The weighted sample (n = 30, 146) comprised respondents in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, South Africa and the Russian Federation. Multivariable regressions describe factors associated with back pain prevalence and intensity, and back pain as a determinant of disability. Results: Prevalence was highest in the Russian Federation (56%) and lowest in China (22%). In the pooled multi-country analyses, female sex, lower education, lower wealth and multiple chronic morbidities were significant in association with past-month back pain (p<0.01). About 8% of respondents reported that they experienced intense back pain in the previous month. Conclusions: Evidence on back pain and its impact on disability is needed in developing countries so that governments can invest in cost-effective education and rehabilitation to reduce the growing social and economic burden imposed by this disabling condition.