Prevalence of Low Back Pain and its Risk Factors among School Teachers

Introduction : This cross-sectional study determined the workplace stressors, stress levels, mental health status and their influencing factors, among primary school teachers in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methodology : Nine primary schools in Klang Valley which fulfil the inclusive criteria were randomly selected from a list obtained from the Ministry of Education website. Two hundred and seventy two teachers from the selected school, volunteered to participate in the study. A questionnaire was used to determine socio-demographic background, working information and medical history. Teacher Stress Inventory was used to measure the stressor and stress levels; while General Health Questionnaire was used to measure the mental health status. Result : Results showed that most of the teachers experience moderate stress level (71.7%) and only 12.1% had low mental health status. Student misbehaviour was the main stressor in the school environment (mean= 2.62). Gender (p=0.001) and workload (p=0.002) showed a significant contributing factors toward mental health status. Conclusion : These primary school teachers experience stress mainly due to the student misbehaviour and the mental well-being were influenced by the workload and gender. Women teachers with heavy workload had relationship with lower mental health status.

The introduction of Industrial Revolution 4.0 and the current pandemic has increased the demand for food delivery services. However, riding motorcycles may pose the risk of experiencing musculoskeletal disorders. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of back pain among food delivery riders. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 39 riders in Kota Bharu. A modified and adapted questionnaire from Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to assess the musculoskeletal symptoms. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-Square Test. This study found that the highest one-year prevalence of whole body for the food delivery riders was lower back pain (59.0%), followed by neck pain (53.8%), shoulder pain (53.8%), and upper back pain (48.7%). Whereas for seven-days prevalence was led by both lower back pain and shoulder pain (59.0%, respectively). Classification of work and the delivery bag did show significant associations with lower back pain (p<0.05). Meanwhile lifting load and body bending were associated significantly with experiencing upper back pain (p<0.05). In conclusion, work-related characteristics had demonstrated significant associations with back pain. The riders should adopt a good posture while riding to prevent back pain. Measures should also be taken by both the management company and the rider, as to improve the working conditions of these delivery riders.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify workstation factors influencing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among information technology (IT) professionals in Indonesia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 IT workers at small-enterprise companies who were randomly selected across East Java, Indonesia. The data were modeled using multiple linear regression, with a 95% level of confidence for determining statistical significance.Results: The respondents reported that the neck had the highest level of discomfort and was the most at risk of WMSDs, followed by the lower back, right shoulder, and upper back. Screen use duration (p=0.040) was associated with whole-body WMSDs, along with seat width (p=0.059), armrest (p=0.027), monitor (p=0.046), and a combined telephone and monitor score (p=0.028). Meanwhile, the factors significantly related to the risk of WMSDs in the hands and wrist were working period (p=0.039), night shift (p=0.024), backrest (p=0.008), and mouse score (p=0.032).Conclusions: Occupational safety authorities, standards-setting departments, and policymakers should prioritize addressing the risk factors for WMSDs among IT professionals.

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