The burden of non-specific chronic low back pain among adults in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a protocol for a mixed-methods study.

This protocol was approved by the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (Ref. No.: BREC/00000205/2019) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health Research Ethics (Ref. No.: KZ_201909_002). This will be the first LBP cost-of-illness study in the sub-Saharan Africa, and, therefore, it will close these knowledge gaps and present important evidence on the estimated burden of CLBP in this context. The results of this study will be presented to the Department of Health and to the respective stakeholders and decision-makers to discuss the findings and draw their attention to the prioritisation of LBP research, its management, prevention programmes and implementation of educational programme and for the planning of cost-containment policies.