ASSESSMENT ON SITTING POSTURE RELATION TO RISK FACTORS BY USING CHI-SQUARE TEST AMONG ELDERLY TAXI DRIVERS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Abstract

There are numerous factors to take into account to ensure the elderly taxi drivers perform well at work while maintaining a good health. This paper is aimed to assess sitting posture of elderly taxi drivers in Peninsular Malaysia using chisquare test. A cross-sectional study was conducted with elderly taxi drivers using a self-administered questionnaire. The survey results deliver details of sociodemographic, work characteristics and sitting comfort of older taxi drivers. Purposive sampling was used targeting at 60 years old and older, self-driving taxi for at least 1 year, no disabilities and registered with Land Public Transport Commission (LPTC). A total of 120 respondents participated in the study. Most of the respondents used ‘hired’ car (76.7%). More than half of respondents had back pain in the past 12 months and 67.5% felt back pain in the last seven days. There are significant relationships (p< 0.05) between discomfort due to seat design and (i) BMI, (ii) smoking status, (iii) driving until midnight, (iv) feeling back pain for the last 12 months and last seven days. The lower body parts are susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) symptom and low back pain (LBP) injuries. Inappropriate sitting posture may cause discomfort and lead to MSDs. The lack of awareness on ergonomics design for sitting comfort lead to poor lifestyle and health issues among elderly taxi drivers in Malaysia.