ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1573828
Global burden of occupational ergonomic factor-induced low back pain, 1990~2021: Data analysis and projections of the global burden of disease
Provisionally accepted
- Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control And Prevention, Nanjing, China
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Low back pain [LBP] is a global epidemic that severely affects the quality of life and imposes a substantial economic burden worldwide. Occupational ergonomic factors are the most important modifiable contributors to LBP. In this study, we estimated the global burden of occupational ergonomic factor-induced LBP from 1990 to 2021 using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study [GBD] 2021 database and projected future trends.Global years lived with disability [YLDs] and age-standardized YLD rate [ASYLDR] for occupational ergonomic factor-induced LBP by sex and Sociodemographic index [SDI] among individuals aged 15-64 from 1990 to 2021 were obtained from the GBD 2021. Long-term trends were evaluated by calculating the average annual percent change [AAPC] of ASYLDR using a Joinpoint model. A Nordpred model was applied to analyze temporal changes in overall and age-specific YLDs and ASYLDR between 1990 and 2021, and to project trends from 2022 to 2045.From 1990 to 2021, global YLDs of occupational ergonomic factor-induced LBP increased by 40.63%. Projections indicated that all-age YLDs will exceed 15 million person-years by 2037. The ASYLDR of occupational ergonomic factor-induced LBP had shown a sustained decline since 1990, decreasing by 18.75% between 1990 and 2021, with an AAPC of -0.670% (95% confidence interval: -0.718 to -0.622). This downward trend is expected to persist until 2045. The SDI showed a negative correlation with ASYLDR (R= -0.36, P < 0.001). YLDs and ASYLDR were consistently higher in females than in males.While the disease burden of occupational ergonomic factor-induced LBP has decreased, the reduction remains modest. Females, low SDI regions, and middleaged/older adults (40-64 years) are the main contributors to the disease burden.Occupational ergonomic factor-induced LBP remains a critical public health problem that requires urgent attention to find global, comprehensive, effective, and targeted prevention strategies.
Keywords: disease burden, Low Back Pain, Occupational ergonomic factors, Estimate projections, Epidemiology
Received: 10 Feb 2025; Accepted: 13 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Wu, Lu, Han and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lei Han, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control And Prevention, Nanjing, China
Xin Liu, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control And Prevention, Nanjing, China
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