Risk of musculoskeletal disorders associated with kitchen platform tasks in young and middle-aged women of a metropolitan city: An observational cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the prominent causes of physical impairment. Traditional homemaking tasks require substantial and sustained physical repetitive movements. The presence of awkward work postures and patterns causes musculoskeletal pain. Objectives: The study aims on quantifying the risks associated for MSDs due to kitchen work in young- and middle-aged women and correlate the contribution of each task and kitchen platform type to the risk of MSDs. Study Design: An observational, cross-sectional study was chosen for the research. Methods: Based on the convenient sampling method and the inclusion criteria, 140 women from different areas of large metropolitan were selected. To assess women for pain using Nordic Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire (Nordic MPQ) was used, for at least three of five meal preparation tasks (chopping, lifting, stirring, mopping the kitchen platform, and utensils washing) using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) was the objective. Measurements of anthropometric characteristics (height of kitchen platform and participant and linear distance between the tip of the shoulder to the kitchen platform and waist to heel) was done using a standard measuring tape at their residence. To correlate the score of Nordic MPQ and REBA with kitchen platform height for finding the risk of MSDs. Results: Women were found to have increased incidence of shoulder pain (mopping task) (P < 0.01) and upper back pain (mopping and stirring task) (P < 0.01). Furthermore, a weak negative association was found between the kitchen platform height with the REBA Score of lifting with r = −0.227 and P = 0.01 (two-tailed). The height of the person was negatively correlated with the REBA Scores of stirring and mopping with r = −o. 228 and − 0.229, respectively and P = 0.01 and 0.03 (two-tailed). Conclusion: Kitchen platform tasks performed in an awkward repetitive posture, over an improper work surface height are associated with increased incidence of MSDs.