PREVALENCE OF WORK-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AMONG LONG DISTANCE DRIVERS IN PORT HARCOURT METROPOLIS

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are a leading cause of occupational injuries in both industrialized and developing countries, with medical, occupational, economic, and psychosocial consequences not just for the workers but on the society at large.  This study assessed the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among private long-distance transport company bus drivers in Port Harcourt metropolis, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: A Descriptive cross-sectional study design was used for the study. 338 long-distance bus drivers in Port Harcourt metropolis were sampled using the multi-stage sampling technique. An adapted Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Survey questionnaire was used to obtain primary data and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The participants were all male. An exploratory descriptive data analysis using frequencies and percentages was done to measure prevalence of WRMSDs using the SPSS.                                                             

Result: the results from the descriptive analysis showed that WRMSDs was found to be present in 58.6% of the study population.                                                                                   

Conclusion: The outcome revealed that WRMSDs are common among long-distance bus drivers.