Marianela Rojas1, David Gimeno2, Sergio Vargas-Prada3, Fernando G Benavides3. 1. Instituto Regional de Estudios en Sustancias Tóxicas, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica, marianela.rojas.garbanzo@una.cr. 2. Centro de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad de Texas, San Antonio, Texas, Estados Unidos de América. 3. Centro de Investigación en Salud Laboral, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, España.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) in the six Spanish-speaking countries of Central America using a single standardized instrument, the First Survey on Working Conditions and Health in Central America in workers from all manual and non-manual labor sectors, using social security coverage as an indicator of formal versus informal employment. METHODS: The workers (n = 12 024) were surveyed in their homes. The age-adjusted prevalence of MSP during the previous month was calculated for pain in the back (upper, or cervical; middle, or thoracic; and lower, or lumbar) and arm joints (shoulder, elbow, and wrist). Prevalence was estimated by sex, occupation (manual or non-manual), economic sector (agriculture, industry, or services), and social security coverage. Poisson regression models were used to calculate the prevalence rates and 95% confidence intervals, with stratification by country and anatomical site. RESULTS: By sites, the age-adjusted prevalence of cervical-dorsal MSP was the highest, especially in El Salvador (47.8%) and Nicaragua (45.9%), and lumbar MSP was less prevalent, especially in Panama (12.8%) and Guatemala (14.8%). After additional adjustments, the prevalence of MSP was higher in women and manual workers for all the sites and in all the countries. There were no differences in MSP in terms of social security coverage or sector of economic activity. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of MSP in Central America, regardless of sector of activity or social security coverage, indicates that the prevention of MSP should be a priority in occupational health programs in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women and manual workers.
OBJECTIVE: Examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) in the six Spanish-speaking countries of Central America using a single standardized instrument, the First Survey on Working Conditions and Health in Central America in workers from all manual and non-manual labor sectors, using social security coverage as an indicator of formal versus informal employment. METHODS: The workers (n = 12 024) were surveyed in their homes. The age-adjusted prevalence of MSP during the previous month was calculated for pain in the back (upper, or cervical; middle, or thoracic; and lower, or lumbar) and arm joints (shoulder, elbow, and wrist). Prevalence was estimated by sex, occupation (manual or non-manual), economic sector (agriculture, industry, or services), and social security coverage. Poisson regression models were used to calculate the prevalence rates and 95% confidence intervals, with stratification by country and anatomical site. RESULTS: By sites, the age-adjusted prevalence of cervical-dorsal MSP was the highest, especially in El Salvador (47.8%) and Nicaragua (45.9%), and lumbar MSP was less prevalent, especially in Panama (12.8%) and Guatemala (14.8%). After additional adjustments, the prevalence of MSP was higher in women and manual workers for all the sites and in all the countries. There were no differences in MSP in terms of social security coverage or sector of economic activity. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of MSP in Central America, regardless of sector of activity or social security coverage, indicates that the prevention of MSP should be a priority in occupational health programs in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women and manual workers.
Authors: David Coggon; Georgia Ntani; Keith T Palmer; Vanda E Felli; Raul Harari; Lope H Barrero; Sarah A Felknor; David Gimeno; Anna Cattrell; Consol Serra; Matteo Bonzini; Eleni Solidaki; Eda Merisalu; Rima R Habib; Farideh Sadeghian; Masood Kadir; Sudath S P Warnakulasuriya; Ko Matsudaira; Busisiwe Nyantumbu; Malcolm R Sim; Helen Harcombe; Ken Cox; Maria H Marziale; Leila M Sarquis; Florencia Harari; Rocio Freire; Natalia Harari; Magda V Monroy; Leonardo A Quintana; Marianela Rojas; Eduardo J Salazar Vega; E Clare Harris; Sergio Vargas-Prada; J Miguel Martinez; George Delclos; Fernando G Benavides; Michele Carugno; Marco M Ferrario; Angela C Pesatori; Leda Chatzi; Panos Bitsios; Manolis Kogevinas; Kristel Oha; Tuuli Sirk; Ali Sadeghian; Roshini J Peiris-John; Nalini Sathiakumar; A Rajitha Wickremasinghe; Noriko Yoshimura; Danuta Kielkowski; Helen L Kelsall; Victor C W Hoe; Donna M Urquhart; Sarah Derrett; Sarah Derett; David McBride; Andrew Gray Journal: PLoS One Date: 2012-07-06 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: David Coggon; Georgia Ntani; Keith T Palmer; Vanda E Felli; Raul Harari; Lope H Barrero; Sarah A Felknor; David Gimeno; Anna Cattrell; Consol Serra; Matteo Bonzini; Eleni Solidaki; Eda Merisalu; Rima R Habib; Farideh Sadeghian; M Masood Kadir; Sudath S P Warnakulasuriya; Ko Matsudaira; Busisiwe Nyantumbu; Malcolm R Sim; Helen Harcombe; Ken Cox; Maria H Marziale; Leila M Sarquis; Florencia Harari; Rocio Freire; Natalia Harari; Magda V Monroy; Leonardo A Quintana; Marianela Rojas; Eduardo J Salazar Vega; E Clare Harris; Sergio Vargas-Prada; J Miguel Martinez; George Delclos; Fernando G Benavides; Michele Carugno; Marco M Ferrario; Angela C Pesatori; Leda Chatzi; Panos Bitsios; Manolis Kogevinas; Kristel Oha; Tuuli Sirk; Ali Sadeghian; Roshini J Peiris-John; Nalini Sathiakumar; A Rajitha Wickremasinghe; Noriko Yoshimura; Helen L Kelsall; Victor C W Hoe; Donna M Urquhart; Sarah Derrett; David McBride; Peter Herbison; Andrew Gray Journal: Pain Date: 2013-06 Impact factor: 6.961
Authors: Bart N Green; Claire D Johnson; Scott Haldeman; Edward J Kane; Michael B Clay; Erin A Griffith; Juan M Castellote; Matthew Smuck; Shanmuganathan Rajasekaran; Eric L Hurwitz; Margareta Nordin; Kristi Randhawa; Hainan Yu Journal: Eur Spine J Date: 2018-08-11 Impact factor: 3.134
Authors: David Gimeno Ruiz de Porras; Marianela Rojas Garbanzo; Aurora Aragón; Lino Carmenate-Milián; Fernando G Benavides Journal: Occup Environ Med Date: 2017-04-25 Impact factor: 4.402