Self-reported musculoskeletal complaints among garment workers.
One hundred forty-four sewing machine operators answered questionnaires concerning occupational history and musculoskeletal symptoms adapted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They were matched for age within 5 years, race, and sex with persons completing the HANES I Augmentation Survey, and the prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal morbidity was compared. Operators complained significantly more often of knee pain (prevalence odds ratio [POR] = 1.84, p = .0001) and knee swelling (POR = 9.98, p less than .00001), although they were no more likely to have had knee surgery. Similar increases were reported for upper-back pain (POR = 2.13, p = .002) joint ache, and joint swelling (both were significant for fingers, wrists, elbows, and shoulders at p less than .05 levels). No differences in low-back pain or in hospitalization for joint conditions were noted. Ergonomic redesign of sewing machines needs to address knee and upper-back movements as well as the arm, wrist, and finger movements.
Sokas
R K
RK
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Spiegelman
D
D
Wegman
D H
DH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D003020:Clothing; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006804:Ergonomics; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D009515:New Jersey; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011897:Random Allocation