Prevalence of low back pain in professional drivers: a meta-analysis

Chunshuo Chen; Bin Xiao; Xiongda He; Junle Wu; Wankang Li; Maosheng Yan

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2024.03.007

Prevalence of low back pain in professional drivers: a meta-analysis

Public Health. 2024 Apr 10:231:23-30. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.03.007. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Chunshuo Chen¹, Bin Xiao², Xiongda He³, Junle Wu², Wankang Li⁴, Maosheng Yan⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Province Hospital for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
² Guangdong Province Hospital for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
³ School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
⁴ School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
⁵ School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Province Hospital for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: yanmsh@126.com.

PMID: 38603976
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.03.007

Abstract

Objective: This meta-review aimed to investigate the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) in professional drivers.

Study design: This study is a meta-analysis.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for cross-sectional studies on the prevalence of LBP in professional drivers up to August 2023. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was utilized for cross-sectional analytical studies. Statistical analysis of the included outcome indicators was conducted using Stata 16.0. The prevalence of LBP among professional drivers was measured using the random effects model, and heterogeneity was evaluated utilizing subgroup analysis. This meta-analysis review was registered with PROSPERO on April 28, 2023, under the registration number CRD42023422205.

Results: In total, 1, 558 results met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 53 studies were included. The meta-analysis results indicated that professional drivers had a LBP prevalence of 35.0%, 95%CI (0.266, 0.433) for one week, 33.80%, 95%CI (0.233, 0.443) for one month, and 55.30%, 95%CI (0.503,0.603) for one year. In the global population of professional drivers, the prevalence of LBP was 56.0%, 95%CI (0.472, 0.648) and 54.5%, 95%CI (0.488, 0.602) without and with a history and high risk of LBP, respectively.

Conclusions: LBP remains prevalent among international drivers and has multiple contributing factors, highlighting the urgent need for increased awareness and prevention strategies.

Keywords: Ergonomics; Low back pain; Meta-analysis; Prevalence; Professional driver.

Publication types

Review