Prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort among female cabin crew in Taiwan

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort among female cabin crew through cabin tasks and demographic factors, including age and seniority. Methods:This study conducted an online questionnaire survey targeted at female cabin crew in Taiwan and ensured that the sample size was with a statistical power of 0.95. This study evaluated the work intensity by ranking six common cabin tasks and examined musculoskeletal discomfort with Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to learn the work intensity and discomfort conditions. In addition, the Chi-square test of independence and multivariate adjustment were applied to clarify the impact of age and occupation on musculoskeletal discomfort in the neck, shoulders, and lower back.Results: This study enrolled 88 female cabin crew members. Handling carryon baggage was voted as the highest intensity cabin task (40%), which was also ranked as the strongest intensity on shoulders. Meanwhile, the upper trunk was more prevalent in musculoskeletal discomfort. Moreover, after multivariate adjustment with controlling the effect of age, this study found a marginal significant association (p = .09) between seniority and right shoulder discomfort for younger staff. Conclusion:This study found that handling carry-on baggage was associated with musculoskeletal complaints in the shoulders. Therefore, this study suggested that shoulders, especially for the right side might be related to the occupational injury, which was prevalent along with seniority among the younger crew.Overall, this study provided the preliminary findings to improve occupational training for preventive health.

Musculoskeletal Disorders and Ergonomic Factors among the Cabin Crews of the National Airline of Bangladesh

“…The common ergonomic risk factors for the crews identified in this study were awkward (bending and twisting) posture, working on standing, repetitive movements of the arms, and carrying loads. The poor working conditions, exposure to ergonomic hazards, and the MSDs suffered by the crews in this study were also evident in various other studies (Chen et al, 2021;Mulay et al, 2019;National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2017). Furthermore, the current study revealed that the increasing age and flight duration were significant factors in the occurrence of MSDs among the crews, which was also found in previous studies (Khrisnapandit et al, 2016;Mulay et al, 2019).…”

“…Previous studies also revealed the multisite occurrence of MSDs among the crews, which became a common health issue among the crews. In addition, the studies reported that the neck, shoulders, and low back were the common sites for MSDs (Chen et al, 2021;Ihlebaek and Rustad, 2022;Mulay et al, 2019;Mulyawan et al, 2021;Nur et al, 2018;Omholt, Tveito and Ihlebaek, 2017). Similarly, in the current study, a higher proportion of the participating crews were found to suffer from MSDs in the low back, shoulders, and neck.…”

“…According to previous studies, a greater proportion of crew members were found to suffer from MSDs, and the occurrence was higher among female crew members than in the current study (Chen et al, 2021;Khrisnapandit et al, 2016;Mulay et al, 2019). On the other hand, a recent study revealed that there was not much gender difference in the occurrence of MSDs (Ihlebaek and Rustad, 2022).…”

“…The occupational hazards of the crews on flight, which were reported in different studies, are irregular schedules, poor sleep quality, heavy workloads, lack of breaks to rest, stressful work, and other ergonomic factors. The ergonomic stressors in flights like standing for long time, walking, constant stretching, load lifting, pushing, pulling trolleys, and working in narrow spaces can the cabin crews to develop various musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) (Chen et al, 2021;Rice, 2018;Mulay et al, 2019;National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2017). Moreover, among the crews, jobinduced stress is a common workplace problem.…”

“…Studies have shown that musculoskeletal diseases are common among flight crews due to a number of risk factors (Chen et al, 2021;Geklaw, 2021;Mulyawan et al,2021;National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2017). According to one previous study, musculoskeletal disorders were found to contribute to 33 percent of workrelated injuries and illnesses among crews in the USA (Mulay et al, 2019).…”