Prevalence of low back pain in migrant construction workers in Mar del Plata, Argentina

Abstract

Background We aimed to compare employment conditions, psychosocial working conditions, and prevalence of low back pain among migrant and local construction workers in Argentina. Methods In a cross‐sectional study among workers from three contracting and eight subcontracting companies as well as 26 construction sites in the region of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 134 out of 150 local (89% response) and 141 out of 150 migrant construction workers (94% response) answered a validated questionnaire. Psychosocial working conditions were evaluated based on an imbalance between efforts and rewards (ERI). Results Compared to local workers, migrants were younger, more likely to work without a contract (57% vs 8%), to report ERI (81% vs 18%) and to suffer from low back pain during the 7‐days before study (80% vs 42%) (all P < .0001). After mutual adjustment, being a migrant (prevalence ratio 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4‐3.0) and working without a contract (1.7; 95% CI, 1.4‐2.1) were statistically significant risk factors for low back pain. Conclusions This study describes the precarious situation of migrant workers in the Argentinian construction industry and the potential health consequences. Provision of formal employment relations might help to better protect migrant workers’ safety and health. Prospective studies are needed to assess the causes and effects of the findings we describe.

Health and safety risk of migrant construction workers–a systematic literature review

“…In addition to that, they clearly demonstrate the definition of migrant workers, health and risk factors and risk solutions. Limited data samples and a lack of comprehensive research validation are the limitations of current research on the health and safety of migrant workers (Machado Susseret et al, 2019;Kim et al, 2020;Mosly and Makki, 2021). The results could be beneficial to clarify the health and safety issues relevant to migrant workers in the construction industry.…”

“…For example, due to the high mobility of migrant construction workers, it is difficult for institutions to collect statistics on all migrant construction workers (Dong and Platner, 2004). In addition to that, some construction companies may hide incidents or refuse to participate in research and some migrant workers may deliberately conceal true information to keep their jobs (Machado Susseret et al, 2019). In order to promote the health and safety of migrant workers in the construction sector, factors that contribute to the increased safety risks need to be understood.…”

Health Impacts of Psychosocial Factors among Construction Workers: A Systematic Review

“…The job demand increases due to over-commitment at work and moderated by rewards. Both later variables are also known as part of the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) components which, if not adjusted properly, may lead to low back pain (N Machado Susseret et al, 2019). Other health conditions are also affected by job demand as it is demonstrated that job demand is positively associated with diastolic blood pressure, work absence, and experience of pain or discomfort (Bodner et al, 2014).…”

“…Again, ERI factors may be involved in this job dissatisfaction, because when skilled workers are involved, they often do not practice their specialty and, thus, their supervisor does not appreciate their work and skill (Jebens et al, 2014). Workers who do not have a working contract and working more than 44 hours per week also have a high ERI score (N Machado Susseret et al, 2019).…”

Prevalencia de Dolor Lumbar y Cervical en Trabajadores Industriales y de Construcción: Un Caso de Estudio en Ecuador

“…This is due to the effort-reward imbalance, 82% for migrants and only 19% for locals. In [6] the working conditions of 349 people who attended the trauma area in Valencia, Spain, was analyzed. The main result was a positive correlation between the manual lifting of loads and the days of disability, without counting the age and gender of the participants.…”