Determining the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Tailors in Kermanshah, Iran Using the Nordic Questionnaire (2018)

Background: Given that evaluating and diagnosing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is an important step towards preventing labor disorders, The present study was conducted to determine the degree of MSDs in tailors in the city of Kermanshah, Iran. Methods: The present descriptive, analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted in winter 2018 on 150 randomly-selected tailors in the city of Kermanshah. The status of neck, waist, shoulder, wrist, ankle, hip, knee and elbow was evaluated using the Nordic questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed in SPSS using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Results: The mean age of the tailors was 41.9 ± 13.1 years. A total of 59.33 % of the tailors were male, and the men and women were significantly different in terms of MSDs (P < 0.05). A weekly study reported neck, shoulder, waist, wrists, elbows, thighs, knees and ankles disorders to involve 49.7%, 41.6%, 55%, 40%, 11.4%, 25%, 43.6% and 42.66% of the tailors, respectively. The most prevalent injuries recorded in an annual examination were respectively associated with the waist (65.33%), neck (64.66%) and shoulder (56%). In the previous year, 52% of the samples had suffered from pain and discomfort in at least one of the eight areas cited. Conclusions: The results of the present study found marital status, working hours and exercise to be the most significant variables affecting MSDs in the tailors. MSDs were found to be highly prevalent in especially the upper extremity of the sewing profession population. Optimizing the working condition of tailors is therefore crucial.