Prevalence and healthcare seeking practice of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among informal sectors of hairdressers in Ethiopia, 2019: findings from a crosssectional study

Abstract

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the major threats to public health, with a significant impact on workers, employers, and the general population. Musculoskeletal disorder related to work not only results in adverse health effects such as physical injury, disability, and a reduction in workers’ quality of life, but it also places immense burdens on the use of healthcare facilities and a substantial loss of productivity. The purpose of this research was to discover the prevalence and associated factors of work-related MSDs among hairdressers in Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfine, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out between March and April 2019. We included a total of 699 hairdressers with a systematic random sampling technique. Work-related MSDs was evaluated with the standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal survey, and the survey was administered by the interviewer. We employed SPSS version 20 software to perform a bivariate and multivariate analysis. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered a significant association. Results: In total, 652 hairdressers were interviewed with a response rate of 93.2%. Participants’ mean age was 33.19 (SD ± 9.639) years. The prevalence of work-related MSDs was 70.2% (N = 458) [95% CI (66.7, 73.9)] and 55.7% in the past 12-months and 7 days, respectively. The study showed the highest prevalence rate was observed in shoulder 53.7% (n = 350) followed by 53.4% (n = 348) neck and 53.2% (n = 347) low back. Of the participants, 33.4% (n = 153) perceived their pain to be severe whereas 28% (n = 128) a high disabling. Almost one-third (n = 187) of the respondents used healthcare services. Age [AOR = 2.73; 95% CI (2.55, 5.46)], work experience [AOR = 1.51; 95% CI (1.03, 2.20)], number of customers served per day [AOR = 2.35; 95% CI (1.35, 4.11)], and hours spent standing to make hair [AOR = 3.4; 95% CI (2.49, 7.77)] were significantly associated factors. (Continued on next page)