# Prevalence of Low Back Pain in Nonworking Women in Eastern Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Survey

## TL;DR

This study found that 92% of nonworking women in Eastern Saudi Arabia experience low back pain, with age being the only significant factor.

## Contribution

The study provides new prevalence data on low back pain specifically among nonworking women in Saudi Arabia.

## Key findings

- 92.1% of nonworking women in the study reported low back pain.
- Age was the only factor significantly associated with low back pain (p = 0.034).
- Most participants (76%) reported that low back pain did not prevent them from performing daily activities.

## Abstract

Background

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common public health, economic, and social problems worldwide. LBP has been reported to be more prevalent in nonworking populations than in working populations among both men and women. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of LBP among nonworking women in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia from October to November 2023 using an online questionnaire.

Results

A total of 390 eligible participants were included. The prevalence of LBP among nonworking women was 92.1%. Age was the only factor significantly associated with LBP (p = 0.034). Other factors showed no significant association, including education level (p = 0.954), marital status (p = 0.061), socioeconomic status (p = 0.305), number of children (p = 1.000), pregnancy status (p = 0.135), smoking (p = 0.576), frequency of exercise (p = 0.118), and body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.096). Additionally, most participants (76%) reported that LBP never prevented them from performing their usual daily activities.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates a high prevalence of LBP among nonworking women, with age identified as the only significant associated factor. Despite this high prevalence, LBP did not appear to substantially interfere with participants’ ability to perform their usual daily activities.