Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among industrial employees in a modern industrial region in Beijing, China

Exploring Musculoskeletal Complaints in a Needle Manufacturing Industry: A Cross-Sectional Study

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) encompass a variety of conditions affecting muscles, joints, and nerves. In Portugal, MSDs are the most prevalent occupational health problem in companies. Based on the relevance of work-related MSD (WMSD), this study aims to assess the prevalence of MSD complaints in a needle manufacturing industry in Northern Portugal, following a cross-sectional approach. Thus, 526 workers from five departments (i.e., operator, tuning, maintenance, administration, and logistics) answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Within the last 12 months, females exhibited a higher frequency of complaints than males across all body parts except for ankles/feet. The body parts eliciting the most percentage of complaints for both genders include the lower back (54.2%), neck (42.2%), shoulders (39.0%), ankles/feet (38.2%), and wrists/hands (35.7%). No significant association was found between Body Mass Index (BMI) and body part complaints. Tuners reported the highest complaint rate, with occupations as substantial predictors of complaints in certain body parts. Likewise, complaints tend to increase with age. The findings advocate for ergonomic interventions that are gender-, age-, and job-sensitive.

Risk factors of musculoskeletal symptoms among industrial workers in Peninsular Malaysia

Objectives. The prevalence rate of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) globally is notably high. There are a limited number of studies investigating WMSDs and their associated risk factors. However, there are currently no data available for WMSDs among industrial workers in Peninsular Malaysia. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of WMSDs and associated risk factors among industrial workers experiencing WMSDs through their daily working tasks. Methods. A quantitative study using a questionnaire was conducted among industrial workers from rehabilitation centres and factories in Peninsular Malaysia. The analysis of 232 participant narratives aimed to identify the correlation between job tasks and musculoskeletal pain, especially in case of repetitive and heavy handling tasks. Results. The prevalence of WMSDs among industrial workers stands at 93.1%. The results also indicate that the most affected part of the body was the lower back, with 62.1% for 7 days or more in the last year, caused by industrial workers' job tasks. The prominent risk factors associated with body parts include gender, age, working hours and most difficult tasks with MSDs, especially in the lower back. Conclusion. This survey helps us to understand whether the workers are experiencing any discomfort, pain or disability related to workplace activities.

Investigating the relationship between body structure status, work activity type, and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among detergent industry workers

BACKGROUND

The physical condition of workers' body structure and assigned duties, can contribute to the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between body structure status, type of work activity, and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among workers in the detergent industry.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 148 industrial workers selected based on inclusion criteria and their medical checkup records. Data collection for the study included a demographic information questionnaire, a body map questionnaire, and an assessment of the workers' musculoskeletal system conducted by three physiotherapists simultaneously.

RESULTS

54.1% of the participants had a total body structure score classified as poor or fair. The neck region showed the highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (51.4%), followed by the lower back region (35.1%). Significant associations were found between abnormalities in the upper and middle limbs of the body and the prevalence of pain in the right shoulder region (Fisher/F = 9.29, P≤0.05) as well as the intermediate back region (F = 10.28, P≤0.01). Office workers experienced a higher prevalence of neck pain than workers in the product line and technical roles, with a statistically significant Odds Ratio (OR) ranging between 2.7 and 6.6 times. Conversely, industrial workers who operate powered machinery showed a higher prevalence of pain in the left shoulder (OR = 3.93) and left foot (OR = 4.07). Meanwhile, workers involved in loading and unloading tasks had a higher prevalence of pain in the middle back (OR = 3.61) and right foot (OR = 4.5) compared to office workers.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of pain in the right shoulder and middle back may be due to abnormalities in the upper and intermediate body structure. Production line workers reported a higher prevalence of pain in the left shoulder, middle back, and foot compared to office workers.

Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Corrugated Box Factory Workers in India

Context

Corrugated box factory workers routinely perform various tasks at their workplace which may impact their musculoskeletal system and quality of life (QoL).

Aim

The aim of this study was to assess work-related musculoskeletal disorders and health related QoL in corrugated box factory workers of an urban city in India.

Study Setting

Corrugated box factory.

Study Design

Cross-sectional.

Methods and Materials

The study encompassed 60 participants fulfilling laid down inclusion criteria. Assessment of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) was done by using the Hindi version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using World Health Organization Quality of Life brief questionnaire.

Statistical Analysis

This was done using descriptive statistics. Mean, standard deviations, and percentages were calculated using Microsoft Excel, and the data were presented in tabular and graphical format.

Results

In total, 98.33% workers reported of having work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The area-wise affection showed the highest incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in shoulder and lower back, i.e. 52.54% each followed by knee (41.23%) thereafter the other joints.

Conclusions

This study concludes that WRMSDs are significantly prevalent among corrugated box factory workers in urban India along with manifestations of lower HRQoL.

Yoga for musculoskeletal pain, discomfort, perceived stress, and quality of sleep in industry workers: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Work-related musculoskeletal pain and discomfort are due to repetitive, unnatural, continuous movements and postures. Yoga therapy is beneficial for pain and disability in occupational settings. The current study aims to investigate the effect of yoga on musculoskeletal pain, stress, and sleep quality among industry workers.

METHODOLOGY

The study was conducted as a parallel randomized controlled open-label trial. An allocation ratio of 1:1 was followed for randomization. A health survey was used to recruit 90 male workers in machinery manufacturing industries from Bengaluru. A specially designed yoga module was administered five days a week for eight weeks to yoga group. The waitlisted control group received lifestyle suggestions. Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered at baseline, at the fourth week and eighth weeks. Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (RM-ANOVA) was conducted to elicit the group*time interactions.

RESULTS

Ninety participants (Yoga = 45, Control = 45) with age 40.57 ± 6.85 were randomized. Significant interactions were found in CMDQ, VAS, PSS and PSQI scores. Further, between group comparison demonstrate significant difference between the groups at the end of 8 weeks for CMDQ, VAS and PSS scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Yoga can be used to reduce musculoskeletal pain, discomfort, perceived stress and improve sleep quality among industry workers.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

CTRI/2022/03/040894.

Association between overtime and depressive symptoms among Chinese employees

Objectives

This study examines the correlation between overtime and depressive symptoms, and analyzed the moderating effect of age, education level, and income level on their correlation by using a nationally representative sample from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2018.

Methods

Participants are divided into three groups: 30-44 h/week, 44.1-61.9 h/week (defined as overtime group), and ≥ 62 h/week (heavy overtime group). The multiple ordered logistic regression models are conducted to estimate the association between overtime and depressive symptoms. The interaction term of overtime and moderators including age, education level, and income level are introduced into the models to test the moderating effect.

Results

The overtime group have an increased probability of depressive symptoms (OR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20) compared with those who reported working hours 30-44 h/week, after controlling for important confounders. What's more, the worsening of depressive symptoms is more pronounced in the heavy overtime group (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.22-1.44). The moderating effect results show that younger employees, employees with high education levels, and those with high income level are more likely to be affected by the negative effects of overtime.

Conclusion

Working overtime increased the likelihood of depressive symptoms. Younger employees, high-educated employees and employees with high income level are more vulnerable to the negative effects of overtime on mental health.

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Their Associated Risk Factors among Furniture Manufacturing Workers in Guangdong, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the one-year prevalence and the associated factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among furniture manufacturing workers in Guangdong, China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of 4181 (2953 males and 1228 females) furniture manufacturing workers was conducted between September 2019 and December 2019. All information about WMSDs was collected by the electronic version of Chinese Musculoskeletal Questionnaires (CMQ). Descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model were used to interpret the data.

RESULT

The overall prevalence of WMSDs was 31.57%. The WMSD symptoms most commonly occurred in the neck (16.77%), followed by the shoulders (14.90%), ankles/feet (14.64%), hands/wrists (13.30%), upper back (11.48%), and lower back (10.95%). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that several individual, labor organization, and ergonomics-related factors conferred significant risks to WMSDs at different body sites.

CONCLUSIONS

WMSDs remain the major occupational health problem for furniture manufacturing workers. Hence, some effective and feasible protective measures for furniture manufacturing workers are required in order to alleviate the health burden caused by WMSDs.

Shoulder work-related musculoskeletal disorders and related factors of workers in 15 industries of China: a cross-sectional study

Background

Changes in modern industrial production practices can easily lead to shoulder work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). The current reports on shoulder WMSD are limited to some industries are less well studied, and the sample size is usually small. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and severity of shoulder WMSD in a large sample of Chinese workers from 15 industries, analyze the possible correlations with sociodemographic and work-related variables, and compare the differences between industries.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 55,749 participants from 252 enterprises in 15 industries throughout China. A Chinese version of the musculoskeletal disease questionnaire was used to collect the demographic factors, shoulder symptoms in past 12 months, and work-related factors including posture-related factors, repetition, vibration, work organization, job control, and environmental factors as independent variables. Descriptive statistics were used, and the binary logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the association between shoulder WMSD and potential demographic and work-related factors.

Results

Nearly 35.5% of participants reported shoulder pain and discomfort in the previous 12 months. Biopharmaceutical manufacturing (56.2%), medical services (54.4%), and aviation services (50.1%) were the three industries with the highest prevalence of shoulder WMSD. The pain score of aviation services workers was the highest. The related factors for shoulder WMSD varied among the different industries.

Conclusion

Our study found a relatively high prevalence of shoulder WMSD in China. There were large differences in the prevalence of shoulder WMSD among industries, and the related factors were particular to each industry. Such information is useful to help occupational health practitioners and policymakers conduct preventive programs to reduce shoulder disorders in these working populations.

Associations of musculoskeletal disorders with occupational stress and mental health among coal miners in Xinjiang, China: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), a common type of occupational diseases, have become the main cause of absenteeism and early retirement in the occupational population, as well as a major risk factor for occupational disability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of occupational stress and mental health on MSDs in coal miners in Xinjiang, China, to provide a theoretical basis for reducing the incidence of MSDs in coal miners and improving their physical and mental health.

METHODS

In this study, stratified cluster random sampling was used to randomly select six coal mining companies in Xinjiang, and 1675 coal miners were surveyed by questionnaire. The status of occupational stress, mental health and MSDs among coal miners was investigated by means of the Effort-Reward Imbalance questionnaire (ERI), Symptom Checklist-90(SCL-90), and Musculoskeletal disorders scale (MSDs) questionnaire.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MSDs among coal miners was higher, and there were statistical differences among different sexes, ages, working years, shifts, types of work, educational level and monthly income (P < 0.001). The prevalence of MSDs in different body parts in the occupational stress group and mental disorder group was higher than that in the normal group. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that females had an increased risk of developing MSDs (OR = 2.23, 95% CI.:1.50,3.33). The risk of MSDs was higher with age < 30 years (30-39 years,OR = 2.39, 95% CI.,1.68,3.40; 40-49 years,OR = 2.15, 95% CI.:1.52,3.04; 50-60 years:OR = 3.25, 95% CI.:2.09,5.07), and the longer the working years, the higher the risk of MSDs (OR = 1.90, 95% CI.:1.38,2.62). The two shifts group (OR = 2.18, 95% CI.:1.59,2.98) had an increased risk of developing MSDs compared with the fixed day shift group. The risk of MSDs was lower in heading drivers (OR = 0.41, 95% CI.:0.29,0.60,) and transport workers (OR = 0.30, 95% CI.:0.20,0.43). The higher the education level, the lower the risk of MSDs (high school: OR = 0.46, 95% CI.:0.34,0.62, junior college and above: OR = 0.12, 95% CI.:0.08,0.17), and the higher the monthly income, the lower the risk of MSDs (OR = 0.50, 95% CI.:0.34,0.74). Occupational stress (OR = 1.32, 95% CI.:1.05,1.67) and mental disorder(OR = 2.94, 95% CI.:2.25,3.84) increased the risk of MSDs. A Bayesian network diagram showed that occupational stress and MSDs have direct effects on mental disorders, and occupational stress can have indirect effects on mental disorders through MSDs.

CONCLUSION

Our research shows that MSDs are common among coal miners. Occupational stress and psychological disorders can increase the incidence of MSDs.