Background: Low back pain is a common, but serious problem affecting vast populations in the
world. Few studies on low back pain in African countries have been reported. Studies report that low
back pain and pelvic angle are correlated, and African people have a high pelvic tilt. It is important to
grasp the state of low back pain and how it affects people’s lifestyle in Tanzania. The aim of current
study is to investigate the prevalence and presentation of low back pain and the relationship between
anthropometric measurements in Tanzania.

Methods: After informed consent, 68 participants jointed the study and then grouped accordingly
into either asymptomatic or symptomatic group. Anthropometric measurements of participants’ height,
weight, curvature of the spine, and pelvic angle were obtained. A Mann-Whitney U test analysis were
used for statistical analysis.

Results: There are 16 subjects on symptomatic group and 52 subjects for asymptomatic group.
There was a significant difference in pelvic angle, body mass index, and thoracic kyphosis angle
between the asymptomatic group and the symptomatic group. But no significant differences in lumbar
lordosis angle or abdominal muscle strength were found between the two groups.

Discussion: Postural abnormalities play a role in the occurrence of low back pain by creating
concentrations of stress. The participants with symptomatic low back pain in Tanzania has a large
anteroversion of the pelvic tilt and a thoracic kyphotic posture. The results contribute to a better
understanding of the mechanism of low back pain in Tanzania.