{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T23:39:53Z","timestamp":1787960393860,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775520000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007614","name":"Jouf University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["DGSSR-2026-NF-01-002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DGSSR-2026-NF-01-002"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007614","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["DGSSR-2026-NF-01-002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DGSSR-2026-NF-01-002"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02zsyt821","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions globally and a leading cause of disability. University populations may be particularly vulnerable due to prolonged sitting, academic stress, and frequently suboptimal ergonomics, especially in rapidly expanding higher education systems such as those in Saudi Arabia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize evidence on the prevalence of LBP among university attendants in Saudi Arabia and to quantify its associations with key demographic and environmental risk factors. Methods: We systematically reviewed observational studies reporting LBP prevalence and\/or risk factors among university students and faculty in Saudi Arabia published in English, following Cochrane methodological guidance and PRISMA 2020 reporting recommendations. The protocol was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420250654048). We searched PubMed, Embase and CINAHL from inception to February 2025. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for analytical cross-sectional studies. Random effects meta-analyses were used to pool prevalence estimates across recall periods, regions, populations, and measurement tools, and to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) for age, sex, smoking, family history of LBP, and college seating conditions. Heterogeneity, subgroup, and sensitivity analyses were undertaken. Results: Thirteen cross-sectional studies were included. The overall pooled prevalence of LBP was 57% (95% confidence interval [CI] approximately 43\u201371), with substantial heterogeneity. Prevalence varied by recall period, region, population group, and measurement instrument; pooled prevalence was 58% among students and 50% among faculty. Increasing age (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.01\u20131.34) and poor college seating conditions (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07\u20131.76) were significantly associated with LBP. Male gender, smoking, and family history showed non-significant pooled effects. These estimates are limited by substantial between-study heterogeneity, variable measurement tools, and exclusively cross-sectional designs, which restrict causal inference. Conclusions: LBP is prevalent among university attendants in Saudi Arabia, affecting both students and faculty. The consistent associations with age and seating ergonomics highlight the need for ergonomic classroom redesign and age-sensitive preventive strategies. Future work should adopt standardized LBP measures and longitudinal designs to clarify causal pathways and evaluate targeted interventions. Funding: This work was supported by the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at Jouf University (grant DGSSR-2026-NF-01-002).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15072808","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,8]],"date-time":"2026-04-08T07:25:12Z","timestamp":1775633112000},"page":"2808","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Mapping the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Low Back Pain Among University Populations in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-4417-3727","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sulaiman","family":"Alanazi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72346, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jana","family":"Alruwaili","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72346, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maysam","family":"Alruwaili","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72346, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-7204-4472","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abdulmajeed","family":"Alfayyadh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72346, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-8405-1582","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hadeel","family":"Alsirhani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72346, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9474-4820","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Samaher Mohammed","family":"Alowaydhah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72346, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9442-5960","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sultan A.","family":"Alanazi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2478-4474","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nesma M.","family":"Allam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Sakaka 72346, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6026-365X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Elsebahy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy for Pediatrics Therapy, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33511, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"49","article-title":"Global, regional and national burden of low back pain 1990\u20132019: A systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study 2019","volume":"32","author":"Chen","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. 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