Investigation of musculoskeletal disorders, physical activity level, sleep quality, and fatigue in health professionals with and without a history of COVID-19

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers belong to an occupational group that is at high risk during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The increased workload of healthcare workers and the accompanying psychosocial stress caused by the pandemic can affect musculoskeletal system disorders, physical activity status, sleep quality, and fatigue in this group. OBJECTIVE: To investigate musculoskeletal system disorders, physical activity level, sleep quality, and fatigue in healthcare workers with and without a COVID-19. METHODS: A total of 200 healthcare professionals aged 18-65 years with and without a history of COVID-19 were in the study. Data were collected between January and March 2021. A “Preliminary Evaluation Form”, “Extended version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal System Questionnaire (NMQ-E)”, “the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF)” and “the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used for data collection”. RESULTS: It was determined that musculoskeletal system disorders did not differ significantly between healthcare workers with and without a COVID-19 history (p > 0.05). It was found that the number of people with problems in the low-back region was higher in those with a COVID-19 history (p = 0.002). In the sleep duration component, the scores of those who did not have a COVID-19 history were found to be significantly higher than those who did (p = 0.10). In other comparisons, it was determined that there was no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the number of people with problems in the low-back region was higher in those with a COVID-19 history. Those without a COVID-19 history had higher scores in sleep duration parameter.