Prevalencia de dolencias musculo-esqueléticas y evaluación de riesgo postural en trabajadores administrativos del Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica en la Sede Central Cartago

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions in administrative workers who use the computer in the ITCR main campus. The study also includes the evaluation of postural risk and personal factors that could affect pain in the study population. The information on musculoskeletal complaints was compiled using the Nordic Questionnaire. To quantify the risk to which workers are exposed due to posture in front of the computer, the ROSA (Rapid Office Strain Assessment) assessment tool was used. The ROSA assessment tool was applied before and after adjusting the workplace to the individual's body dimensions. The statistical analysis of the relationship between the level of risk and personal factors was studied through the calculation of odds ratio using the statistical package minitab and SPSS. The results of the Nordic Questionnaire showed that the highest prevalence of pain in the population are wrist right hand (18%), low back (16%), neck (14%), left shoulder (10%), and right shoulder (7%). According to the ROSA method, it was found that all the individuals studied obtained a score greater than 5, which indicates that they are at risk and immediate intervention of the study population is necessary. No statistically significant relationships were found in the odds ratio tests in the different possible combinations of the variables studied (gender, age, time in the institution, time in the workplace, and hours of computer use in the day and outside the day). We conclude that the adjustment of the workplace showed statistically significant changes in the magnitude of the risk to which the worker is exposed (P = 0.089 t of Student to 95%) changing from risk to no risk.