Complaints of the arm, neck and shoulder among computer office workers in Sudan: a prevalence study with validation of an Arabic risk factors questionnaire

Salwa S Awad,J Bart Staal,Rob A De Bie,Amar A Hassan,Shahla M Eltayeb

doi:10.1186/1476-069x-7-33

Salwa S Awad, J Bart Staal + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069x-7-33

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Abstract

BackgroundComplaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulders (CANS) in general and computer-related disorders in particular affect millions of computer office workers in Western developed countries. However, with the widespread use of computer systems in developing countries, the associated musculoskeletal complaints are yet to be investigated.AimTo study the prevalence of work-related CANS, among computer office workers in Sudan, and to test the psychometric properties of a translated Dutch questionnaire in Arabic language.MethodsIn 2005 282 computer office workers at a mobile telecommunication company and three banks in Khartoum, Sudan, received an Arabic language version of the validated Maastricht upper extremity questionnaire (MUEQ). The questionnaire holds 109 items covering demographic characteristics, in addition to six main domains (i.e. work station, body posture, break time, job control, job demands and social support) assessing potential physical and psychosocial risk factors. Forward/backward translation of the MUQE was done independently by two different translators. Prevalence over the past year were computed for CANS. Further, the psychometric properties of the Arabic questionnaire were investigated (i.e. factor structure and reliability) and cross-validation was carried out.ResultsThe response rate of the questionnaire was 88% (n = 250). The one-year prevalence of CANS showed that 53% of the respondents could be classified as mild cases. The highest incidences were found for neck and shoulder symptoms (64% and 41% respectively). The analysis of the psychometric properties of the scale resulted in the identification of 2 factors for each of the 6 domains (i.e. office equipment, computer position, head and body posture, awkward body posture, autonomy, quality of break time, skill discretion, decision authority, time pressure, task complexity, social support, and work flow). The calculation of internal consistency and cross validation provided evidence of reliability and lack of redundancy of items.ConclusionThe prevalence of CANS among the targeted population seems to correspond strongly with prevalence of CANS in Western developed countries. The Arabic translation of the MUEQ has satisfactory psychometric properties to be used to assess work-related risk factors for the development of CANS among computer office workers in Sudan.

Highlights

Complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulders (CANS) in general and computer-related disorders in particular affect millions of computer office workers in Western developed countries
Complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder (CANS) are defined as "musculoskeletal complaints of arm, neck and/ or shoulder not caused by acute trauma or by any systemic disease"[1]
The present study aims to translate and validate the Dutch musculoskeletal upper extremity questionnaire (MUEQ), which can be used to assess the occurrence, nature and several work-related physical and psychological risk factors for the development of CANS in the targeted population The second aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of CANS in a Sudanese working population The psychometric properties of the Dutch version of this questionnaire have already been reported in another paper [11]

Summary

Introduction

Complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulders (CANS) in general and computer-related disorders in particular affect millions of computer office workers in Western developed countries. With the widespread use of computer systems in developing countries, the associated musculoskeletal complaints are yet to be investigated. CANS affect millions of computer office workers in Western developed countries [2]. With the wide use of computer systems in the developing countries [3], the associated musculoskeletal complaints are yet to be investigated. CANS are the leading cause of occupational illness in the United States with related absenteeism and medical expenses costing the industry between $45 to $54 billion annually [4]. In the Netherlands, with a working population of 7 million, annual costs for these musculoskeletal disorders are estimated to be 2.1 billion Euro [4]. Very limited data is available about the magnitude of this problem in non-Western regions such as Africa [3], and none so far documented the extent of the problem in Sudan

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