THE EFFECT OF AWKWARD POSTURE ON WORK-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER AMONG HOSPITAL WORKERS IN PEKANBARU, RIAU

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorder may cause discomfort, work loss, and subsequently economic loss, in most industries, including hospital. Little is known about the effect of awkward posture on work-related musculoskeletal disorder. The study aimed to examine the effect of awkward posture on work-related musculoskeletal disorder among hospital workers. SUBJECT AND METHOD: This was a cross sectional study conducted at a hospital in Pekanbaru, Riau. A sample of 205 hospital workers was selected at random for this study. The independent variables was awkward posture, measured by REBA method. The dependent variable was work-related musculoskeletal disorder, measured by Nordic Body Map. The confounding factor was smoking status. The data were analyzed using multiple regression model. RESULTS: As many as 82.9% of the hospital workers studied experienced mild work-related musculoskeletal disorder. As many as 17.1% of the hospital workers experienced severe work-related musculoskeletal disorder. After adjusting for the effect of smoking, awkward posture increased the risk 7 times as many of work-related musculoskeletal disorder, and it was statistically significant (OR= 7.14; 95%CI= 2.93 to 17.36; p=0.001). CONCLUSION: After adjusting for the effect of smoking, awkward posture increased the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorder. Hospital workers with awkward posture need special attention as they are at higher risk of experiencing work-related musculoskeletal disorder. Keywords: awkward posture, work-related musculoskeletal disorder