ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PREVALENCE OF SELF-REPORTED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AND GENERAL HEALTH AMONG IRANIAN OIL REFINERY WORKERS

Abstract

Musculoskeletal symptoms are the most frequent occupational health problems and accounts for a large number of losses in working days and disability for workers in modern industrialization. The aim of this paper was to investigate the relationship between the self-reported prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the head/neck, upper back and lower back and certain individual, work- related physical, psychological and general health factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a descriptive questionnaire which was distributed to 350 oil refinery workers in Iran and collected between April to December 2016. A total of 282 workers returned completed questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 81%. For the head/neck region, working at the long periods in uncomfortable posture (adjusted [Formula: see text], 95% [Formula: see text]–2.58) and doing repetitive activity (adjusted [Formula: see text], 95% [Formula: see text]–2.67) increased the risk experiencing head/neck symptoms. For the upper back region, lifting and transferring during work increased the risk of experiencing upper back symptoms (adjusted [Formula: see text], 95% [Formula: see text]–2.79). For the lower back region, working for more than 8[Formula: see text]h a week shows the strongly significant association for the risk of lower back symptoms. Lower back pain was associated with symptoms of anxiety and dysfunction in social functioning. Some physical and psychological factors were associated with the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the spine among oil refinery workers. These data emphasize the need to develop and implement preventive measures that reduce the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among workers.