Musculoskeletal pain,depression, and stress among Latino manual laborers in North Carolina

The jobs of Latino manual laborers place their mental and physical health at risk. This study evaluates the associations among musculoskeletal pain, mental health, and work organization in Latino manual laborers. Farmworkers and nonfarmworkers (n = 189) in North Carolina were interviewed for self-reported musculoskeletal pain, depressive symptoms, stress, work safety climate, and precarious job status. More nonfarmworkers than farmworkers had neck and shoulder pain, but they did not differ in other areas of musculoskeletal pain. Depressive symptoms had a significant association with neck and shoulder pain (p < .05). Precariousness had a significant association with back pain (p < .05). Farmworker participants had H-2A visas and were afforded some protection compared to nonfarmworker manual workers. Research is needed to improve policy that relieves pain and improves mental health for all Latino manual workers.     

上海市闵行区电子行业作业工人肌肉骨骼疾患发生情况及影响因素研究

目的 调查上海市闵行区电子行业作业工人工作有关肌肉骨骼疾患（work-related muscular skeletal disorders,WMSDs）的发生情况,并探讨其影响因素。方法 选取闵行区8家电子行业企业1 426名生产工人作为研究对象,采用横断面调查方法,发放调查问卷,调查工人近1年内肌肉骨骼疾患的发生情况,并采用logistic模型对工人肌肉骨骼疾患的影响因素进行分析。结果 回收有效问卷1 319份,有效率92.5%。工人不同身体部位WMSDs的年发生率在3.6%～23.0%之间,发生率最高的依次为颈部（23.0%）、肩部（20.0%）和下背部（10.4%）。焊锡工手腕部WMSDs的年发生率（10.7%）最高,车间管理员踝/足部WMSDs的年发生率（15.4%）最高（P <0.05）。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示：背部长时间保持同一姿势是颈部、肩部和下背部WMSDs发生的危险因素（OR=1.56、1.45、1.86,P <0.05）;长时间坐位工作（OR=1.60、2.44）、颈部长时间保持同一姿势（OR=2.30、1.79）、背部稍弯曲（OR=1...     

某汽车零部件生产企业工人工作相关肌肉骨骼损伤影响因素分析

目的 分析某汽车零部件生产企业工人工作相关肌肉骨骼损伤(work-related musculoskeletal disorders,WMSDs)的患病情况及其影响因素.方法 选择某汽车零部件生产企业831名作业人员为研究对象,采用《北欧肌肉骨骼疾患问卷(改良版)》调查其WMSDs患病情况,采用logistic回归分析...     

Mobile Farm Clinic Outreach to Address Health Conditions Among Latino Migrant Farmworkers in Georgia

ABSTRACT

Agricultural labor involves exposure to many occupational hazards, some of which can lead to chronic health conditions. The purpose of this study was to conduct an occupational health needs assessment of illnesses and work-related injuries among a Latino migrant farmworker population (recruited to harvest Vidalia onions) in South Georgia. Study data included survey responses from 100 farmworkers attending mobile farm clinics in 2010 at their worker housing residences, supplemented by medical diagnoses data from the same clinics collected over 3 years (2009–2011) for 1161 farmworkers at six different farms. From the survey, the main health problems reported were hypertension (25%), eye problems (12%), musculoskeletal problems (11%), diabetes (10%), and depression (7%). In multivariate analyses, depression scores were associated with having a history of musculoskeletal problems (p = .002). According to the mobile farm clinic data, the most common medical diagnoses included back pain (11.8%), hypertension (11.4%), musculoskeletal problems (11.3%), gastrointestinal disorders (8.6%), eye problems (7.2%), dermatitis or rash (7.0%), and tinea or fungal skin infections (5.6%). The study identified eye and musculoskeletal problems as the major occupational health conditions for this population of farmworkers.     

广州市某啤酒制造厂工人颈肩背多部位肌肉骨骼疾患危险因素研究

目的 调查啤酒制造厂工人多部位工作相关肌肉骨骼疾患（work-related musculoskeletal disorders,WMSDs）的现状,并分析其影响因素。方法 采用横断面调查方法,于2021年9月以广州市某啤酒制造厂的501名员工为研究对象,使用中文版《肌肉骨骼疾患调查问卷》调查WMSDs患病现状,应用多因素logistic回归方法分析颈、肩、背多部位WMSDs的危险因素。结果 啤酒制造厂员工WMSDs总患病率达39.7%,其中各部位患病率较高的是颈部27.1%、肩部25.0%、下背部24.0%和上背部23.2%。工人单一部位WMSDs患病率为10.8%,多部位WMSDs患病率为28.9%,2个部位同时患病的比例是3.8%,3个部位同时患病的比例是4.4%,4个部位同时患病的比例是16.4%,5个及以上部位同时患病的比例为4.6%,其中颈、肩、上背、下背4个部位同时患病的比例为17.8%(89/501),上肢部位（肘部、手腕部）同时患病的比例为3.2%(16/501),下肢部位（腿部、膝部、踝部）同时患病的比例为2.2%(11/501)。多因素logistic回归分析结果...     

社区医务人员职业性肌肉骨骼疾患发生情况及危险因素分析

目的了解社区卫生服务中心医务人员职业性肌肉骨骼疾患(WMSDs)发生及其危险因素。方法采用流行病学横断面调查方法,选择《北欧肌肉骨骼疾患问卷(改良版)》对广州市3家社区卫生服务中心145名医务人员的肌肉骨骼疾患及其影响因素进行调查。结果 WMSDs发生率最高的部位依次是颈部(393%)、肩部(324%)、下背部(200%)和上背部(172%);下背和手部WMSDs发生率医生最高,肘和下肢(腿、膝和踝部) WMSDs发生率以护士最高。颈部WMSDs危险因素是经常加班(OR=307),下背部WMSDs危险因素是背部弯曲(OR=1215)和颈部长时间保持同一姿势(OR=1437)。工作姿势舒适(OR=037)为肩部保护因素。结论社区卫生服务中心医务人员WMSDs不容忽视,不同岗位医务人员WMSDs发生部位略有差异。可通过合理安排加班、保持工作姿势舒适、减少长时间弯腰和避免颈部长时间保持同一姿势等措施预防和控制医务人员WMSDs的发生。     

心理因素及物理负荷对职业性肌肉骨骼疾患的影响分析

目的 探讨心理因素与物理负荷的交互作用及其对职业性肌肉骨骼疾患(WMSDs)的影响.方法 选取653名来源于电子行业流水线作业、缝纫行业、制造行业的工人及行政管理人员作为调查对象.采用改良的北欧国家肌肉骨骼疾患标准调查表调查肌肉骨骼疾患情况,心理社会状况调查采用工作内容量表(JCQ),进行流行病学横断面调查,并应用快速暴露检查法(QEC)问卷对其进行工效学的物理负荷评价.结果 不同暴露等级下,肩部、上背、下背、手/腕的肌肉骨骼疾患的年患病率的差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05或P＜0.01),同时暴露在高的物理和心理负荷时,工作人员各部位的年患病率明显高于暴露在其他等级时的肌肉骨骼疾患的患病率.调整工龄、年龄、性别后,用logistics回归分析结果表明,在肩部、上背、下背和手/腕部的WMSDs影响中可能存在物理负荷和心理负荷的交互作用(P＜0.05).结论 高物理负荷下,不良心理因素对工人WMSDs的发生造成的影响远大于工人处于低物理负荷工作时,实施工效学干预不仅要从过度负荷,不良姿势,静态负荷等物理因素方面进行干预来降低WMSD的发生,也要关注心理因素方面的干预.

Abstract：

Objective To investigate the interactive effect of job task and psychosocial factors on the outcomes of musculoskeletal disorders. Methods 653 workers from different type of manufacturing industries and administration office recruited in a cross-sectional epidemiological survey. The Quick Exposure Check (QEC) was applied to assess the ergonomic load of job task, Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) for identifying psychological characteristics, and Nordic Standardized Questionnaire for investigating outcomes of WMSDs.Results The prevalence of WMSD in shoulder, upper back, lower back and hand/wrist were significantly different under a variety of combined job task and psychosocial characteristics (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01 ). The more physical and psychological loads, the higher prevalence of WMSDs were revealed. By using multivariate analyses, a potential interactive effect was found in terms of the WMSDs symptoms in hand/wrist shoulder,upper back and lower back after adjusted by work year, age, and gender. Conclusions Higher physical load and greater psychosocial risk are more frequent self-reported symptoms of WMSDs than those of lower exposures. Ergonomic intervention strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of WMSDs should not only be focused on control of physical work factors but also psychosocial risks of relevance.     

Association among Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders,Job Stress,and Job Attitude of Occupational Therapists

This study was conducted to investigate the associations among work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), job stress, and job attitude of occupational therapists in South Korea. Self-reporting questionnaires were distributed to 150 occupational therapists. Of the 128 occupational therapists who responded, 110 (85.9%) reported WMSDs affecting at least one body site. The most affected WMSDs site was the low back (26.8%), and the most reported number of body site affected by WMSDs was one (53.9%). As a result, there were significant differences in job stress and job attitude depending on the age, work experience, working hour, presence or absence of WMSDs, and number of site of pain. Factors influencing job attitude included job stress, the presence or absence of WMSDs and duration of pain. The results showed that the occurrence of WMSDs in occupational therapists was associated with increased job stress and negative job attitude.     

Chronic Back Pain and Associated Work and Non-Work Variables Among Farmworkers from Starr County,Texas

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study estimated the prevalence of chronic back pain among migrant farmworker family members and identified associated work and non-work variables. Methods: Migrant farmworkers (n = 390 from 267 families) from Starr County, Texas were interviewed in their home once a year for 2 years. The original survey included items measuring demographics, smoking, sleep, farm work, and chronic back pain. For this cross-sectional analysis, multi-level logistic regression was used to identify associated work and other variables associated with chronic back pain while accounting for intraclass correlations due to repeated measures and multiple family members. Results: The prevalence of chronic back pain during the last migration season ranged from 9.5% among the youngest children to 33.3% among mothers. Variables significantly associated with chronic back pain were age (odds ratio [OR], 1.03, per year increase), depressive symptoms while migrating (OR, 8.72), fewer than 8 hours of sleep at home in Starr County (OR, 2.26), fairly bad/very bad quality of sleep while migrating (OR, 3.25), sorting crops at work (OR, 0.18), and working tree crops (OR, 11.72). Conclusion: The role of work exposures, depressive symptoms, and sleep in chronic back pain among farmworkers warrants further examination. Refinements in outcome and exposure assessments are also needed given the lack of a standardized case definition and the variety of tasks and crops involved in farm work in the United States.     

Musculoskeletal Injury,Functional Disability,and Health-Related Quality of Life in Aging Mexican Immigrant Farmworkers

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are at high risk for musculoskeletal and other occupational injuries. Although persons aged 40–80 years account for 40 % of all US farmworkers and as many as 50 % in certain regions, little is known about their occupational health issues. The current study examined work-related persistent musculoskeletal injuries (PMIs) and their association with clinical and functional indicators of disability and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in 177 middle-aged and elderly US–Mexico border farmworkers. At interview, 68 % reported current PMI pain; 51 % had pain at multiple sites. PMI pain was associated with increased shoulder, knee, and lower extremity dysfunction and reduced HRQOL scores. However, fewer than 25 % of injured participants received any conventional medical treatment. The study results indicated that work-related PMIs, especially multiple PMIs, caused significant functional impairment, disability, and poorer HRQOL, adversely affecting the ability of the aging farmworkers to perform work, self-care, and other daily activities.     

广州市某造船厂工人颈部工作相关肌肉骨骼疾患影响因素分析

目的 调查广州市某造船厂工人工作相关肌肉骨骼疾患(work-related musculoskeletal disorders,WMSDs)患病情况,探讨影响颈部WMSDs的主要因素.方法 以广州市某造船厂工作人员为研究对象,采用《北欧肌肉骨骼疾患问卷(修改版)》调查其WMSDs患病情况,运用多因素logistic回归...     

Work-organisational and personal factors associated with upper body musculoskeletal disorders among sewing machine operators

Objective

To assess the contribution of work-organisational and personal factors to the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among garment workers in Los Angeles.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study of self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms among 520 sewing machine operators from 13 garment industry sewing shops. Detailed information on work-organisational factors, personal factors, and musculoskeletal symptoms were obtained in face-to-face interviews. The outcome of interest, upper body WMSD, was defined as a worker experiencing moderate or severe musculoskeletal pain. Unconditional logistic regression models were adopted to assess the association between both work-organisational factors and personal factors and the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain.

Results

The prevalence of moderate or severe musculoskeletal pain in the neck/shoulder region was 24% and for distal upper extremity it was 16%. Elevated prevalence of upper body pain was associated with age less than 30 years, female gender, Hispanic ethnicity, being single, having a diagnosis of a MSD or a systemic illness, working more than 10 years as a sewing machine operator, using a single sewing machine, work in large shops, higher work–rest ratios, high physical exertion, high physical isometric loads, high job demand, and low job satisfaction.

Conclusion

Work-organisational and personal factors were associated with increased prevalence of moderate or severe upper body musculoskeletal pain among garment workers. Owners of sewing companies may be able to reduce or prevent WMSDs among employees by adopting rotations between different types of workstations thus increasing task variety; by either shortening work periods or increasing rest periods to reduce the work–rest ratio; and by improving the work-organisation to control psychosocial stressors. The findings may guide prevention efforts in the garment sector and have important public health implications for this workforce of largely immigrant labourers.     

Musculoskeletal symptoms and associated risk factors among African hair braiders

African hair braiders are potentially subject to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) because they perform repetitive hand motions for many hours a day together with prolonged standing and/or prolonged sitting. A complete enumeration of African hair braiders was attempted in Oklahoma City (OKC) and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). Braiders were identified through the channels they typically use to offer services to clients. Potential risk factors and symptoms of WMSDs were assessed using an oral interview. Participation rates were 95% (18/19) in OKC and 83% (83/101) in DFW. More than 75% of braiders reported discomfort in the fingers, wrist/hand, upper back, and lower back. In multivariate analysis, years worked as a braider but not age was a significant risk factor (p < 0.005) for reported pain in the wrist/hand, time spent sitting during the work day was found to be a significant predictor (p < 0.05) of upper back pain and lower back pain, and time spent sitting and time spent standing during the work day were both significant predictors (p < 0.05) of shoulder pain. Braiders in OKC, where licensing requirements were stricter, were significantly more likely than braiders in DFW to work at home (67% vs. 4%, p < 0.001) and to report pain in the lower leg (p < 0.005) and ankle/foot (p < 0.05). The close-knit nature of the African hair braiding community makes it an appealing candidate for community-based participatory research aimed at further elucidating occupational health concerns and reducing risk.     

Co-occurrence of musculoskeletal pain among female kitchen workers

Objectives: The co-occurrence of musculoskeletal pain symptoms in seven body sites and their combinations among women in kitchen work were studied. Methods: Data on musculoskeletal pain during the past 3 months in the neck, shoulders, forearms/hands, low back, hips, knees and ankles/feet were gathered by questionnaire from 495 female workers (mean age 45 years) in connection with an ergonomic intervention study in municipal kitchens of four cities in Finland. Altogether 122 kitchens (60% of those eligible) participated in the study. The response rate in the participating kitchens was 98%. Results: The 3-month prevalence of any musculoskeletal pain was 87%, the most common sites being the neck (71%), low back (50%) and forearms/hands (49%). About 73% of the subjects had pain in at least two, 36% in four or more, and 10% in 6–7 sites. In pair wise comparisons, e.g. neck pain was associated with pain in other sites with prevalence ratios (PR) varying from 1.3 to 1.6, and ankle or foot pain with ratios between 1.9 and 2.4. The seven pain symptoms occurred in more than 80 different combinations. When the co-occurrence of pain was studied in three larger anatomical areas, i.e. any pain in the axial (neck and low back), upper limb and lower limb areas, subjects reporting concurrent pain in all three were the largest category (36% of the respondents). Altogether 53% of the workers reported pain in at least the axial and upper limb areas, and 48% in at least the axial and lower limb areas. Conclusions: Widespread co-occurrence of musculoskeletal pain symptoms was common among female kitchen workers with slight predominance in the upper body.     

Work related risk factors for musculoskeletal complaints in the spinning industry in Lithuania

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of self reported musculoskeletal complaints in the back, arms or neck, and legs among workers in the spinning industry, and to investigate the relations between these complaints and work related variables. METHODS: An interview based questionnaire survey was carried out in two spinning industry factories in Lithuania. RESULTS: The study group consisted of all workers in production (n = 363). Symptoms of the legs were the musculoskeletal symptom reported most often (61%). Many subjects had arms or neck (55%) or back problems (28%). 20% had experienced pain from all three sites. Almost 25% had had musculoskeletal pain every day and 16% had experienced constant pain during previous year. Packers had the highest risk of arms or neck problems whereas spinners had the highest risk of back or leg problems. Working in a strained posture (bending, work with arms raised up above shoulder level, and repetitive movements of the fingers) was associated with all three complaints. Only arms or neck complaints were associated with age. CONCLUSIONS: Musculoskeletal disorders are a common problem among workers producing gobelin or synthetic thread in Lithuania and working in a strained posture is a risk factor for developing musculoskeletal disorders in three body sites: legs, arms or neck, and back. To better understand the different aspects of physical load as risk factors, a more detailed study of the frequency of postural changes as well as an observation of individually adopted postures would be necessary. This applies to intervention studies in factories of the spinning industry to prevent complaints of the legs and shoulders.

 

     

Perceived effort and low back pain in non-emergency ambulance workers: Implications for rehabilitation

Introduction: This study aims to explore factors associated with low back pain (LBP) that required treatment from health care provider among non-emergency ambulance transfer workers. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted to 38 workers of a major hospital in Hong Kong. The influences of four categories of risk factors (personal, physical, psychosocial, and exposure factors) in the prevalence of LBP were investigated by objective measurement and self-reported questionnaires. A modified Nordic musculoskeletal symptoms survey and sick leave record were used to document the prevalence of LBP. Univariate analyses followed by multiple logistic regression analyses were used to explore the risk factors associated with LBP cases. Results: The results revealed that LBP was associated with age (OR=0.75, CI=0.56–1.00, P < 0.05), perceived effort (OR=7.95, CI=1.46–43.27, P < 0.05), job satisfaction (OR=4.18 CI=1.42–12.33, P < 0.01), and flexor peak torque at 120°/s (OR=1.09 CI= 0.99–1.19, P=0.07). Conclusion: This study suggests that workers’ perceived exertion has an valuable role in assessing risk at this workplace. A high perceived exertion at work can signal the need for work adjustment or modification to avoid progression of low back disorder to persistent pain or intense pain. The effects of work adjustment or modification in affected workers needs to be systematically investigated.     

Prognostic factors for musculoskeletal sickness absence and return to work among welders and metal workers

OBJECTIVES: To analyse factors that determine the occurrence of sickness absence due to musculoskeletal problems and the time it takes to return to work. METHODS: A longitudinal study with two year follow up was conducted among 283 male welders and metal workers. The survey started with a standardised interview on the occurrence of musculoskeletal complaints. 61 (22%) workers were lost to follow up. Data on sickness absence among 222 workers during the follow up were collected from absence records and self reports. Regression analysis based on proportional hazards models was applied to identify risk factors for the occurrence and duration of sickness absence due to various musculoskeletal complaints. RESULTS: During the follow up 51% of the workers attributed at least one period of sickness absence to musculoskeletal complaints which accounted for 44% of all work days lost. A history of back pain was not associated with sickness absence for back pain, partly because subjects with back pain were more likely to be lost to follow up. Neck or shoulder pain and pain of the upper extremities contributed significantly to neck or shoulder absence (relative risk (RR) 3.35; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.73 to 6.47) and to upper extremities absence (RR 2.29; 95% CI 1.17 to 4.46), respectively. Company and job title were also significant predictors for sickness absence due to these musculoskeletal complaints. Absence with musculoskeletal complaints was not associated with age, height, body mass index, smoking, and duration of employment. Return to work after neck or shoulder absence was worse among metal workers than welders (RR 2.12; 95% CI 1.08 to 4.17). Return to work after lower extremities absence was strongly influenced by visiting a physician (RR 11.31; 95% CI 2.94 to 43.46) and by musculoskeletal comorbidity (RR 2.81; 95% CI 1.18 to 6.73). CONCLUSIONS: Complaints of the neck or shoulder and upper extremities in the 12 months before the study were associated with sickness absence for these complaints during the follow up. Workers with absence due to pain from back, neck or shoulder, upper extremities, or lower extremities were at higher risk of subsequent sickness absence in the next year.

 

     

深圳市中学生日常行为习惯与其肩颈腰背健康状况的关系

目的 探讨深圳市中学生日常行为习惯与其肩颈、腰背健康的相关性,为更好地预防中学生肩颈、腰背症状提供理论依据。方法 采取分层整群抽样方法,抽取深圳市10个区10所中学的3 952名学生进行脊柱健康状况及日常行为习惯的问卷调查,调查数据采用SPSS 23.0软件进行分析。结果 深圳市中学生中有肩颈症状和腰背症状的分别为20.3%和15.2%;有肩颈症状的女生（25.3%）多于男生（16.2%）,高中生（24.5%）多于初中生（15.5%）,住校生（24.4%）多于非住校生（17.6%）;有腰背症状的女生（17.9%）多于男生（13.0%）,差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05）。多因素logistic结果分析显示,性别、学校类型、午休趴在桌子上睡觉、因学习或玩电脑熬夜、自评学习压力、持续长时间做作业、玩手机、看电视和使用电脑与学生肩颈症状相关（P<0.05）;性别、午休趴在桌子上睡觉、因学习或玩电脑熬夜、自评学习压力、持续长时间做作业、玩手机、看电视与学生腰背症状相关（P<0.05）。结论 深圳市中学生肩颈、腰背症状不容忽视,学习压力、长时间静坐行为和不良的睡眠习惯均对脊柱健康有影响。