Abstract
Background: Currently, work-related musculoskeletal disorders are a significant public health concern and are one of the leading causes of disability-adjusted life years and reduced quality of life. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the country-wide prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, particularly shoulder and neck pain, in Ethiopia.Methods: This study considered studies conducted in Ethiopia, written in English and published in 2017-2020 and searched using electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Embase, African Index Medicus, and African Journals Online database. 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: The study found that the pooled prevalence of shoulder and neck pain in the previous year represented 37.9% [95% CI:26.5, 50.8%] and 29.9% [95% CI: 20.1, 41.9], respectively. Based on the subgroup analysis, the pooled prevalence of shoulder pain in the last year based on the study population, publication year and study region was 47.6% [95% CI: 45.8, 49.4%], 49.8% [95% CI: 45.7, 53.9%] and 44.6% [95% CI: 41.4, 47.8%], respectively, while the pooled prevalence of neck pain in the last year based on the study population, publication year and study area was 39.1% (95% CI: 37.5, 40.7%], 25.1% [ 95% CI: 20.8, 29.9%] and 32.6% [95% CI: 29.8, 35.5%], respectively.Conclusions This study found that at least one third of the study participants had experienced occupational-related shoulder and/or neck pain in the previous year. The study suggests that there is a need to implement occupational health and safety measure to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders and other hazards.