Musculoskeletal Pain and Work-related Risk Factors among Waste Collectors in Hanoi, Vietnam: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prevalent among waste collectors (WCs) in developing countries.
 AIM: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of MSDs and the factors associated with the risk of persistent musculoskeletal pain among WCs in Hanoi, Vietnam.
 METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was utilized to study 468 WCs in 2017. The Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire and a questionnaire on demographic and work conditions were used to collect data. Descriptive and multivariate logistics regression analyzes were applied at a significance level of 0.05 to examine the factors related to the risk of persistent pain.
 FINDINGS: About 74.4% of the participants of this study experienced MSDs in at least one body region and 9.4% reported MSDs in all 10 body sites. The lower back was reported to be the most affected followed by the neck and shoulders. The risk of persistent musculoskeletal pain was significantly associated with age (odds ratio (OR) = 2.31, confidence interval (CI) = 1.05–5.09), gender (OR = 3.29, CI = 1.28–8.44), work hours (OR = 2.35, CI = 1.12–4.92), work shift (OR = 0.48, CI = 0.26–0.92), duration of poor postures of the neck (OR = 0.31, CI = 0.13–0.76), bent back (OR = 0.4 CI = 0.18–0.92) and for medial rotation (OR = 3.01, CI = 1.42–6.36), carrying heavy objects (OR = 2.94, CI = 1.15–7.48), and experience of work dissatisfaction (OR = 3.31, CI = 1.46-7.52), stress (OR = 7.14, CI = 3.14–16.24), or anxiety (OR = 6.37, CI = 3.07–13.21).
 CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of MSDs among WCs and its association with self-assessed unfavorable work postures and work-related stress implies the need of mechanical and social support at work for WC to prevent the development of MSDs and persistent pain.

Magnitude and possible risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders among street cleaners and solid waste workers: a cross-sectional study

“…These findings corroborate the results of previous studies. These findings corroborate with the results of studies conducted in Nigeria [25], India [26], Vietnam [27], Thailand [28], Korea [7], and Iran [29] with the observed prevalence of 78.2%, 72%, 74.4%, 88%, 69.4%, and 93% respectively. In contrast, a lower prevalence was observed in the studies conducted in Malaysia (54.5%), Egypt (60.8%), Brazil (60%), Australia (58.1%), Mekelle, Ethiopia (53.28%), and India (Chandigarh 56.8, Himachal Pradesh 58.9 [30][31][32][33][34][35][36].…”

“…The higher illiteracy rate (41%) amongst the street sweepers observed in this study is similar to those observed in most of the countries [ 25 , 27 , 30 , 31 ]. Further, there are some significant predictor variables identified in the logistic model, such as higher age, being overweight/obese, not-satisfied with the job, and cleaning long distances in a day.…”

Riesgos potenciales de lesiones músculo-esqueléticas en la recolección de residuos

“…De forma general, el riesgo predomina en los hombros, cuello, brazos, piernas, tronco y muñecas. Un estudio realizado a recolectores en Vietnam muestra que la espalda baja resultó ser el sitio más afectado, seguido por el cuello y hombros (Nguyen et al, 2020). Otra investigación, identifica que el riesgo más significativo se encuentra en los brazos con un 80.6 %, muñecas/manos con un 74.2 %, y espalda con un 67.7 % (Tuesca-Armijos, 2020).…”

A Systematic Review on Musculoskeletal Disorders among Workers in Unorganized Sector

“…Interestingly, the study found no difference in prevalence between male and female respondents. According to a study by Nguyen et al, 28 lower back pain was the most frequently reported, followed by neck and shoulder pain. The study also found that age was significantly associated with persistent musculoskeletal pain and that female workers had a higher risk of persistent disorders.…”