title: Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among hairdressers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study has investigated the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), the most commonly affected body parts, the risk factors of WMSDs and the coping strategies adopted by hairdressers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study design was a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. Two hundred and ninety-nine hairdressers (242 females and 57 males) from salons in Surulere and Mushin Local Government Areas of Lagos State completed a 27-item questionnaire. They were selected using a non-probability consecutive sampling technique. The inferential analysis was conducted using the Chi2 test. The level of significance stood at p < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders stood at 75.6%. Two hundred and twenty-one (91.3%) participants reported gradual onset of musculoskeletal disorders. One hundred and sixteen (47.9%) participants had the onset of the WMSDs at the age range of 26-35 years. The most commonly affected body parts included the low back (76.3%), shoulder (62.5%) and neck (46.3%). Some of the major job risk factors of the WMSDs that were identified included: working in the same position for long periods and attending to a large number of customers in 1 day. Taking sufficient rest breaks by participants was one of the coping strategies adopted by the participants. The mean number of years of working experience was 7.85±0.4 years. One hundred and twenty-four (41.5%) participants had worked for 1-5 years. The Chi2 analysis showed that the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders were significantly associated with the age of a participant (Chi2 = 78.78, p = 0.001), years of working experience (Chi2 = 78.03, p = 0.001) and hours spent working in a standing position (Chi2 = 8.77, p = 0.01), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The age of hairdressers, their years of working and the long hours they spent working in a standing position may be significant factors that contribute to the high prevalence of the WMSDs among them. The most commonly affected body parts included the low back, shoulders and neck.
authors.affiliation: University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria (Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine). awetohappiness@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Happiness Anulika
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Aweto
authors.affiliation: University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria (Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine).
authors.forename: Bosede Abidemi
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Tella
authors.affiliation: Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria (Department of Physiotherapy).
authors.forename: Omobolanle Yewande
authors.initials: OY
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011187:Posture; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: hairdressers; musculoskeletal abnormalities; occupational health; prevalence; workplace