Assessment of Musculoskeletal Disorders Between lorry Drivers in Qom, Iran

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders represent a substantial cause of morbidity worldwide. The contribution of work to these disorders has been well established by various epidemiological and laboratory-based researches. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of musculoskeletal disorders in truck drivers.

Materials and methods: This cross sectional study included truck drivers referred to Transportation Company in Qom province. We evaluated musculoskeletal disorders by Nordic questionnaire and demographic data. The questionnaire was filled by direct interview. Data analysis was done in SPSS and P value below  0.05 was significant.

Results: Age of 173 male participated in this study was 38.82 years with body mass index (BMI) of 26.02 (Kg/m2) and mean work duration of 8.85 years. In the period of past week and past year, prevalences of musculoskeletal disorders at all of the nine body regions of drivers were 56.6% and 78.6%, respectively. The most common musculoskeletal involvement was lumbar, back and neck regions. There were significant relationship among musculoskeletal problems with age, work duration, and BMI (P<0.05).

Conclusion: This investigation showed the importance of frequent musculoskeletal disorders among  drivers in different body regions particularly in lumbar area and its  correlation with work duration, high weight, and age.