Prevalence and risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorder among female domestic workers employed in private homes in South India: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common occupational health problem accounting for a larger number of compensation days and disability among workers. An invisible workforce of female domestic workers (FDWs) is involved in back-breaking jobs in the informal job sectors, and yet, there are no studies to quantify their work-related MSD’s (WMSDs). The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of WMSDs among FDWs employed at private houses in Bengaluru, South India. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 408 randomly selected FDWs with a comparative group. The trained interviewer assessed WMSDs using a standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire and psychosocial distress using the general health questionnaire–12. A high prevalence of WMSD was reported in the neck (19.6%), shoulder (23.8%), elbow (12%), upper back (31.9%), and ankle (26%) in domestic workers than the non-domestic workers. Age above 37 years (AOR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.03–3.06), house cleaning ([>1715 h/year – AOR: 1.30, 95% CI: 0.60–2.84] [1714–555 h/year – AOR: 1.30, 95% CI:0.66–2.59]), and clothing ([Care >1460 h/year – AOR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.12–5.35] [109–1459 h/year – AOR: 1.98, 95% CI: 0.95–4.10]) were factors associated with neck pain in FDW. Moreover, work experience of more than 10 years (AOR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.32–3.34) and distress (AOR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.25–3.61) was a factor associated with lower back pain in FDW. FDWs are substantially affected by WMSDs in the neck and lower back due to house cleaning and clothing care tasks performed in the workplace setting, respectively.