ArticleScandinavian journal of work, environment & health2023
The global health and economic impact of low-back pain attributable to occupational ergonomic factors in the working-age population by age, sex, geography in 2019.
Article in Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Clinical efficacy of acupuncture therapy combined with core muscle exercises in treating patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Preoperative health-related quality of life across four degenerative lumbar conditions in a multi-ethnic Southeast Asian surgical cohort: a cross-sectional SF-36 analysis.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Trends in the burden of low back pain attributable to occupational ergonomic factors among the global population aged 15-64 years (1990-2021): a study based on the GBD database.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2026Article
- Prevalence and multidimensional factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Chinese gas station workers.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Smoking-attributable low-back pain disability in China versus high income countries among adults aged 20-54 years, 1990-2023: A secondary dataset analysis of GBD 2023.Tobacco induced diseases · 2026Article
- Economic burden of recurrent low back pain among working-age adults in Poland: a 3-year retrospective observational analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Observational
- Non-specific low back pain prevalence and associated factors among Chinese people aged 60 years and older: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Noninferiority of ultrasound-guided lumbar disc block versus fluoroscopy-controlled lumbar discography for diagnosis of discogenic low back pain.Anaesthesiology intensive therapy · 2025Article
- Burden of low-back pain disease caused by occupational ergonomic factors in China from 1990 to 2021 and forecast for 2035: a systematic analysis and comparison with global trends.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 · 2025Article
- Strategies for combining interventional and behavioral therapies in management of chronic low back pain: A scoping review.Interventional pain medicine · 2025Review
- Analysis and comparison of the trends in burden of low back pain in China and worldwide from 1990 to 2021.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2025Article
- Exploring the economic occupational health, safety, and fatal accidents in high-risk industries.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Global, regional, and national burden of low back pain in working-age population from 1990 to 2021 and projections for 2050.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Global burden of occupational ergonomic factor-induced low back pain, 1990~2021: data analysis and projections of the global burden of disease.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Unpacking the cost implications of diagnosis-related groups reform for lumbar disc herniation patients in Chinese medicine: a closer look at evidence from China.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- What have we learned about risk assessment and interventions to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders and support work participation?Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveOccupational ergonomic factors (OEF) include physical exertion, demanding posture, repetitive work, hand-arm vibration, kneeling or squatting, rising, and climbing, which are risk factors for low-back pain (LBP). This study aimed to examine the prevalence, years lived with disability (YLD), healthcare costs, and productivity losses of LBP attributable to OEF by age, sex, World Health Organization region, and country in 2019.
methodsIn this cross-sectional study, prevalence and YLD were extracted from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019. Employment statistics were obtained from the International Labor Organization websites. Health and economic impact was estimated for 192 countries and territories using the population attributable fraction method.
resultsGlobally, OEF were responsible for 126.1 million prevalent cases of LBP and 15.1 million YLD in the working-age population (aged 15-84 years) in 2019, with the Western Pacific region suffering most. OEF-attributable LBP led to $216.1 billion of economic losses worldwide. Of these, $47.0 billion were paid in healthcare costs, with the public sector serving as the largest contributor (59.2%). High-income countries bore >70% of global economic burden, whereas middle-income countries experienced >70% of global YLD. Generally, more prevalent cases and healthcare costs were found among females, whereas more YLD, productivity losses, and total costs were found among males.
conclusionsGlobally, OEF-attributable LBP presented a heavy burden on health and economic systems. Exercise together with education, active monitoring, evidence-based medical practices, alternative cost-effective solutions, and prioritizing health policies are needed.
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