Backache, fact or myth among female garment factory workers? A descriptive study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The commonest complaint of female garment factory workers who present for out patient care, is backache. The biggest problem doctors face is confirming the objectivity of this complaint. The general objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD's) among the study population with a particular reference to backache. The specific objective was to assess the prevalence of MSD's in the seated and standing postures of work and to determine the statistical significance of any such difference. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in a garment factory in the Gampaha district in June ~ August 2002. The factory had an all female workforce of 1013. Of which 251 worked in the seated and 762 worked in the standing posture. The calculated sample size was 141 and 228 for the seated and standing groups respectively. A random sample was taken from each group. Data from the sample population was collected by (a) A self-administered questionnaire -which served as a screening test. All those indicating subjective MSD on the questionnaire were subjected to (b) A clinical examination, (c) A rapid ergonomic assessment was performed on both groups. The Standard Normal Deviate (SND) value was computed to test the Null hypothesis. Results: The mean age of the study population was 22.84 years with a standard deviation of 4.5 years. The subjective prevalence of MSD's in the seated and standing groups were 20.83% and 37.42% respectively. (p<0.05). The objective prevalence of MSD's was 9.38% and 17.18% respectively. (p<0,05). The commonest reported subjective MSD was backache with a prevalence of 30.09%. The commonest objective MSD detected was also backache with a prevalence of 50.45%. Conclusion: It would be worthwhile to take serious note of a complaint of backache made by a female garment factory worker.