ArticlePloS one2015
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).
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 75 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
75 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 212 citations in OpenAlex.
- Risk factors for low back pain amongst adults in Nigeria and South Africa: a systematic review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Clinical and economic burden of low back pain in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2023Pooled it
- Spinal manipulative therapy in older adults with chronic low back pain: an individual participant data meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2022Pooled it
- What are the most common conditions in primary care? Systematic review.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2018Pooled it
- The Global Spine Care Initiative: a systematic review of individual and community-based burden of spinal disorders in rural populations in low- and middle-income communities.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2018Pooled it
- Effectiveness of a multifaceted implementation strategy compared to usual care on low back pain guideline adherence among general practitioners.BMC health services research · 2018Trial
- A multimedia campaign to improve back beliefs in patients with non-specific low back pain: a process evaluation.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2017Trial
- The AI-Driven Healthcare Value Framework-Rethinking Traditional Care Models in the Age of Automation.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Prevalence and associated risk factors of low back pain among bank employees in Pokhara, Nepal.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Feasibility of evaluating the effectiveness of an interprofessional rehabilitation program for people with chronic low back pain in Ethiopia: a pilot randomized control trial protocol.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Article
- Attitudes, Beliefs, and Clinical Decision-Making Regarding Low Back Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study of Pakistani Medical Practitioners, Physiotherapists, and Exercise Professionals.Musculoskeletal care · 2026Article
- The burden of low back pain and predictions in Asia-Pacific region, 1990-2021: a comparative analysis of China, Japan, Thailand, and Pakistan.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- A narrative approach for the management of low back pain in general practice: An in-depth patient interviews study.The European journal of general practice · 2025Article
- Equity by design principles for digital health interventions.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Risk Factors Associated With Low Back Pain in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in 2023.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Development of a World Health Organization indicator and corresponding questions to measure effective coverage of rehabilitation.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Sociodemographic disparities and potential biases in persistent pain estimates: Findings from 5 waves of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).European journal of pain (London, England) · 2024Observational
- Article
- Socioeconomic variation in the prevalence of pain by anatomical sites among middle-aged and older adults in India: a cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 6 institutions in 8 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBack 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.
methodsStandardized 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.
resultsPrevalence 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.
conclusionsEvidence 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.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.