Risk Assessment of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Its Correlation with Job Factors: Validating of an Assessment Questionnaire

Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) are one of the leading causes of job disability and absenteeism. Various occupational factors may increase the risk of developing WMSDs among individuals. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Job Factors Questionnaire (JFQ) and determine the role of the occupational factors in the prevalence of WMSDs among individuals.

We conducted this study in 2022 on 100 employees of an automotive industry in Kerman province in Iran. We used TheBackward-Forward to translate the questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and the Intraclass Correlation (ICC) Coefficient were used for reliability, and Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) tests were used for validity determination. To analyze the data, we used the SPSS-22. To evaluate the differences in demographic characteristics and questionnaire answers between the two groups, the T-test, and chi-square test were used.

The most WMSDs were in waist, knees, and ankles for workers and waist, neck, upper back, and shoulders for office employees. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for all individuals, workers, and office employees’ answer were 0.954, 0.955, and 0.924, respectively, and the ICC was in the range of 0.718 to 0.928. Validity was also in the acceptable range. For both groups, the occupational factor “Working in the same position for long periods” played the most significant role in the rate of WMSDs. 

JFQ is a proper tool for predicting and controlling WMSDs in workplaces. We can use this tool to control the physical-ergonomic problems and review ergonomic improvements made in the workplace.