One in Five Pregnant Women in Ouagadougou Reports Low Back Pain

Low back pain affects about one in five pregnant women attending antenatal care in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, according to a cross-sectional study conducted between February and May 2024 in 11 primary healthcare centers across five health districts of the capital. Among 1,159 pregnant women recruited consecutively at these facilities, with a mean age of 26.86 years (standard deviation 5.91), 21.83% reported low back pain. The study, led by Mariam Ouédraogo and colleagues, quantifies the burden of this common musculoskeletal complaint in a sub-Saharan African setting, where data have remained scarce despite extensive research on pregnancy-related low back pain in high-income countries.

The researchers used standardized questionnaires to collect sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric history, and responses on the Pregnancy Mobility Index (PMI), a measure of mobility limitations related to pregnancy. The mean PMI score among participants was 13.31, with a standard deviation of 9.40. Although 45.42% of the women reported reduced activity levels, 71.71% considered their low back pain to be nonsignificant, a striking gap between the measured functional impact of the condition and how the women themselves judged its importance.

To identify which characteristics were associated with low back pain, the team performed multivariable logistic regression. Three factors emerged. Women living in urban areas had nearly twice the odds of reporting low back pain compared with others (adjusted odds ratio 1.85, 95% confidence interval 1.20–2.93, p = 0.007). Those with a low activity level also had higher odds (adjusted odds ratio 1.57, 95% confidence interval 1.14–2.15, p = 0.006). By far the strongest association was a personal history of low back pain: women with such a history had almost fifteen times the odds of experiencing low back pain during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio 14.89, 95% confidence interval 9.64–23.53, p < 0.001).

The authors conclude that although low back pain affects one in five pregnant women in Ouagadougou, it is often regarded as nonsignificant despite its measurable impact on daily activities. Urban residence, reduced activity level, and a personal history of low back pain were identified as key associated factors. As a cross-sectional study, the design captures associations at a single point in time and cannot establish causal relationships, and the findings apply to women attending antenatal care in these centers rather than all pregnant women in the city. Even so, the results indicate that the condition’s effect on mobility and everyday activity deserves more attention than its frequent dismissal as insignificant might imply.

Subject of Research: Prevalence, associated factors, and functional impact of low back pain among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: A cross-sectional study

Article Title: Prevalence, associated factors, and functional impact of low back pain among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: A cross-sectional study

Article References: Ouédraogo, M., Diabri, M. B., Bayala, Y. L. T., Ouédraogo, I., Zongo, E., Ouédraogo, A., Kaboré, F., Zabsonre-Tiendrebeogo, W. J. S., & Ouédraogo, D.-D. (2026). Prevalence, associated factors, and functional impact of low back pain among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: A cross-sectional study. PLOS One, 21(10), e0360908. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360908

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360908

Keywords: Prevalence, associated, factors, functional, impact, back, pain, pregnant, women, attending, antenatal, care