Occupational Related Shoulder and Neck Pain among Working Population of Ethiopia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders associated with the workplace are currently a major public health problem, as they are one of the main causes of disability-adjusted life years and reduced quality of life. Despite various studies on shoulder and neck pain, there is inconsistency in the findings and a lack of overall data on the prevalence of these issues among the working population in the country. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to determine the pooled prevalence of shoulder and neck pain, throughout Ethiopia.

Methods: The review considered studies done in Ethiopia that were published in English between 2017 and 2024. Web of Science, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, African Journals Online, PubMed, and Google Scholar were used to retrieve articles. The pooled shoulder and neck pain prevalence was determined using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software, version 4. The quality assessment of the studies was done using Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Assessment tools to determine the relevance of each included article to the study.

Results: A total of 27 articles with 12,386 study participants were included in the current study.  The pooled prevalence of occupational-related neck and shoulder pain in the last year was 34.1% [95% CI: 28.5, 39.8%] and 35.7% [95% CI: 28.6, 43.6%], respectively. Subgroups analyzed by study region and survey year revealed that the prevalence of neck pain was 36.8% [95% CI: 31.2, 42.8%] and 34.3% [95% CI: 12.2, 66.1%], respectively. For shoulder pain, the prevalence in the last year based on study region and year was 45.3% (95% CI: 13.0, 82.1%) and 36.7% (95% CI: 9.3, 76.5%), respectively.

Conclusions: The current systematic review and meta-analysis show that at least one-third of study participants reported having shoulder and/or neck pain in the last year. The result of this study indicates the need for occupational health and safety practices, including availing of occupational health services, to be implemented to lower the risk of shoulder and neck pain.