Prevalence of osteoarthritis in lower middle- and low-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

= 99·50%). The pooled prevalence of OA was 16.4% (CI 11·60-21.78%) in South Asia, 15.7% (CI 5·31-30·25%) in East Asia and Pacific, and 14.2% (CI 7·95-21·89%) in Sub Saharan Africa. The meta-regression analysis showed that publication year, study sample size, risk of bias score and country-income categories were significantly associated with the variations in the prevalence estimates. The prevalence of OA is high in low-income and lower middle-income countries, with almost one in six of the study participants reported to have OA. With the changing population demographics and the shift to the emergence of non-communicable diseases, targeted public health strategies are urgently needed to address this growing epidemic in the aging population.