Work-related and ergonomic risk factors associated with low back pain among bus drivers

Abstract

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is the commonest form of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, which cause huge economic losses to individuals as well as to the community. Bus drivers have been found to be at an increased risk of LBP owing to several factors associated with physical and occupational circumstances. There is scant knowledge on the problems of LBP among bus drivers in Egypt. Aim: To identify the prevalence of LBP among bus drivers and to determine the ergonomic and occupational risk factors associated with this problem. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study including 180 public bus drivers who were interviewed using a questionnaire containing items on some sociodemographic, ergonomic, and occupational characteristics. Lifestyle risk factors such as BMI and history of tobacco smoking were also included in the questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of LBP was high (73.9%). LBP was significantly associated with work duration of more than 10 years, working more than 8 h/day and more number of accidents while driving the bus in the previous year. Regarding ergonomic risk factors, those complaining of uncomfortable seat and steering wheels showed significantly higher prevalence of LBP. Conclusion: Public bus drivers in this study experienced high prevalence of LBP, which was associated with long duration of work, driving for more than 8 h daily and uncomfortable seat and steering wheels. Ergonomic and occupational risk factors associated with LBP can be modified by proper organizational strategies and health plans. Therefore, assessment of the sitting biomechanics and regular maintenance of buses are recommended to prevent any adverse health effects.

Musculoskeletal pain and sedentary behaviour in occupational and non-occupational settings: a systematic review with meta-analysis

“…There is an inconsistent association with general MSP; of the two studies [ 91 , 95 ], one reported no association [ 91 ] and the other a positive association [ 95 ]. A similar inconsistent association was reported with LBP; two studies [ 90 , 99 ] reported a positive association and one study [ 81 ] reported no association. In a meta-analysis (Fig.…”

“…Five occupational category cross-sectional studies of bus drivers [ 90 , 95 , 99 ] and professionals (patrol duty police officers) [ 81 , 91 ] reported vehicle time and LBP [ 81 , 90 , 99 ] or general MSP [ 91 , 95 ], including three of high-quality [ 81 , 91 , 99 ]. There is an inconsistent association with general MSP; of the two studies [ 91 , 95 ], one reported no association [ 91 ] and the other a positive association [ 95 ].…”

“…6 ), the pooled effect size of the three studies [ 81 , 90 , 99 ] showed considerable heterogeneity (I 2 = 95%) but increased odds of LBP with prolonged sitting in a vehicle, although this was not statistically significant [OR = 2.16(0.79 – 5.93), p = 0.13]. After excluding the low-quality study [ 90 ] in a sensitivity analysis the association was still non-significant (Supplementary Figure 5 A).

Fig.

…”

Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms and associated risk factors among domestic gas workers and staff of works department in Enugu, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

“…There was a preponderance of male in both groups, presumably, due to the manual handling demands of these jobs. Similarly, higher proportion of male workers have been reported in other jobs requiring manual material handling such as construction work [28,29], commercial driving [30,31], and farming [32]. Among the SWD, significant associations were observed between general WMSS and each of gender, work frequency, and diastolic blood pressure.…”

Increased Work from Home and Low Back Pain among Japanese Desk Workers during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Labor-related variables were employment status (“employer”, “self-employed”, “regular employee”, and “non-regular employee”) [ 22 ], income level (low: <4 million JPY; intermediate: 4–7 million JPY; high: >7 million JPY; and unknown or no answer) [ 20 ], and working time (<35, 35–39, 40–44, or >45 h/week) [ 23 ]. We adjusted for health-related status as follows: smoking status (never, former, and current), alcohol use (never, former, and current), and comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and psychiatric disorders) [ 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”