Biopsychosocial Factors Are Associated with High Prevalence of Self-reported Musculoskeletal Symptoms in the Lower Extremities Among Office Workers

Abstract

Little attention has been given to musculoskeletal symptoms in the lower extremities among office workers. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between the self-reported prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the hip, knee and ankle/foot and individual, work-related physical and psychosocial factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in which 2000 office workers from 54 workplaces in Bangkok registered at the Social Security Office of Thailand received a self-administered questionnaire. Of those, 1428 (71%) returned the questionnaire. After screening for exclusion criteria, 1185 office workers were eligible for the study. The prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms in the hip, knee and ankle/foot was associated with certain individual, work-related physical and psychosocial factors. Mental demands and work repetitiveness were each significantly associated with the prevalence of experiencing hip symptoms. Suffering from a chronic disease, the average number of working hours/day, sleep quality and self-rated perception of air circulation in the office were significantly related to the prevalence of experiencing knee symptoms. Significant associations were found between the prevalence of experiencing ankle/foot symptoms and sleep quality, self-rated perception of the ergonomics of the desk and size of office space and frequency of feeling frustrated during the previous 4 weeks. Results of this study indicated that several biopsychosocial factors were associated with a high prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms in the lower extremities among office workers. Further prospective studies are required to substantiate the observed associations.