Self-reported musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire for agriculturists: An online self-assessment tool development

Abstract

The musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) severity and frequency questionnaire (MSFQ) has been used with agriculturists. Although it frequently appears in the literature, it does not periodically reflect the levels of MSDs. This study aimed to develop a MSDs assessment tool for agriculturists via an online database. The four hospitals that were assigned to the development and tryout group received a random selection of participants from 33 health promoting hospitals. In the development phase, 55 agriculturists (from two hospitals) completed the structured interview questionnaire. The MSFQ document for the analysis of MSDs symptoms among agriculturists was concentrated on the frequency and severity of symptoms. The online MSFQ was checked by using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) in a one-way random-effects model. In the tryout phase, a group of 44 agriculturists (from another two hospitals) completed a similar online MSFQ. Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the reliability of the online self-reported MSDs questionnaires. A Likert rating scale, used to measure the satisfaction of users, was divided into three categories: information, program design, and benefits. The development phase showed an ICC = 0.99 with a 95% CI = 0.98–0.99. More than 65 percent of agriculturists were female, aged from 41–50 years old. A large number of them were engaged in self-cultivation. Their main crops were rice and cassava. In total, 50% reported that they had experienced mild MSDs levels. The shoulder, knee-calf, and hip-thigh areas were the top three parts of the body where agriculturists had experienced MSDs from cultivation. Excellent reliability of online MSFQ was found after the tryout. The agriculturists were very satisfied overall (information, program design, and benefits). Developments to the MSFQ and online administration did not diminish its reliability for obtaining information about the level of MSDs of agriculturists’ musculoskeletal symptoms. This self-reported MSDs questionnaire was appropriate to be used among agriculturists.