Prevalence and Work-Related Factors Associated with Lower Back Musculoskeletal Disorders in Female Shellfish Gatherers in Saubara, Bahia-Brazil.

Maria Carolina Barreto Moreira Couto,Ivone Batista Alves,Ila Rocha Falcão,Juliana dos Santos Müller,Courtney Georgette Woods,Verônica Maria Cadena Lima,Wendel da Silva Viana,Paulo Gilvane Lopes Pena,Rita Franco Rego

doi:10.3390/ijerph16050857

Abstract

Lower back musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are an important public health problem and the leading cause of disability worldwide, but with yet unknown prevalence among shellfish gatherers. To investigate the prevalence and work-related factors associated with lower back MSD in a population of female shellfish gatherers, an epidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out in Saubara, Bahia-Brazil, in 2013. The Brazilian version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), in addition to a questionnaire containing the physical demands adapted to the artisanal work, were applied to a random sample of 209 female shellfish gatherers. The prevalence of lower back MSD was 72.7%. Using multivariate logistic regression, the shellfish gatherers who had worked for more than 26 years in the activity showed a prevalence of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.04–1.44) times higher compared to those unexposed. Lower back MSD was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.08–1.42) times higher among those more exposed to work sitting with trunk flexion. Those performed manual handling and muscle force with the arms had a prevalence ratio of 1.18 (95% CI: 1.01–1.39). These results show the need for greater awareness of health and social welfare factors impacting workers in small-scale fisheries and will promote the elaboration of health care policies for this occupational class.

Highlights

Lower back musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) is considered a significant public health problem and one of the main causes of incapacity or absence from work in the world [1,2]
The results presented in this study reflect a high prevalence of lower back pain in the past year, as well as for cases of lower back MSD in female shellfish gatherers of Saubara
This is higher than the prevalence of low back pain reported on other occupational groups in the literature, which varies from 24% to 59.4% [5,6,7,50,51], despite using a more rigid definition, revealing that this population is more exposed to risk factors related to the onset of back pain

Summary

Introduction

Lower back musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) is considered a significant public health problem and one of the main causes of incapacity or absence from work in the world [1,2]. It is noteworthy for its long duration, incapacitating character and the resulting granting of sickness benefits [1,3]. Studies indicate that certain occupational activities are associated with the development of lower back pain [4,5,6,7]. Public Health 2019, 16, 857; doi:10.3390/ijerph16050857 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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