Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Problems Among Full Time Lady Servants in Doqqi Area, Cairo

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have been identified as a major health concern affecting sizeable segments of the general and working populations. A limited number of studies have particularly explored the prevalence and causes of MSDs among full-time lady servants who routinely perform housework. Aim of work: To estimate the prevalence and pattern of musculoskeletal disorders among randomly selected lady servants and to identify potential factors associated with self-reported musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among full-time lady servants in Doqqi area, Cairo. Materials and Methods: It is a cross-sectional study included randomly selected female servants in Doqqi area, Cairo. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was used to study frequency of MSD and possible risk factors associated with it. Results: The study revealed that all the studied population are female, illiterate (70.4%), unmarried (57.8%), and 43.7% of them have ≥ 3children. As well as 76.1% of lady servants are working using repetitive movements and 69% taking awkward positions during domestic work. Eighty four percent (84.5%) of the study group had musculoskeletal troubles during past 12 months, mostly in lumbar region (63.3%) and 36.6% of servants have evidence of stress. Conclusions: A major finding of this study was musculoskeletal disorders (84.5%) that mainly affected lumbar area followed by knee, wrist and hand areas. Also, 56.3% of servants had mental stress and the most important risk factors that affect the MSDs were awkward positions and repetitive movements.