Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Laundry Workers: Gender, Age, Work Experiences, Work Duration, and Marital Status Differences Perspective, North Sulawesi Indonesia
- Author:
I Wayan Gede Suarjana1
1
;
Richard Andreas Palilingan1
1
;
Ilham Salam1
1
;
Sudirham Sudirham1
1
;
Siti Fathimah2
2
;
Andi Sani3
3
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: Age; Gender; Laundry industry workers; Occupational health risks; Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs)
- From:Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2025;21(No. 1):73-82
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
- Abstract: Introduction: A nonconducive and at-risk work environment provides an opportunity for the occurrence of significant Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs), affecting the physical, psychological, and social aspects of workers' health. This study aims to analyze differences in individual characteristics, such as gender, age, work experience, work duration, and marital status. Materials and methods: This study was a quantitative observational study with a population of laundry workers in Tomohon and Tondano, Minahasa, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. A sample of 225 people was selected using an incidental sampling technique with inclusion criteria aged 19-60 years. The instrument used the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) to measure musculoskeletal disorders, with statistical analysis involving Spearman rank and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: There is a significant positive relationship between age and the risk of WMSDs with a correlation coefficient (R = 0.226, p = 0.001) for age, with male and married workers exhibiting higher susceptibility (R = 0.242, p = 0.000; R = 0.257, p = 0.000, respectively). Surprisingly, work experience demonstrated a negative association, indicating increased vulnerability in new workers (<2 years) compared to seasoned counterparts (R = -0.317, p = 0.000). Mann-Whitney analysis confirmed significant disparities between genders, work experience durations, and marital statuses. However, age and work duration showed no significant differences between those experiencing WMSDs and those who did not (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings found that age, gender, and marital status were significantly associated with the risk of WMSDs, with findings that older, male, and married workers were at higher risk. In contrast, work experience showed a negative association with WMSDs, suggesting that new workers are more vulnerable. Although BMI, education level, and work duration were not significant. Limitations: Some variables that may affect musculoskeletal complaints, such as personal medical history, physical activity outside work, and psychosocial factors, were not controlled or measured in this study. This may affect the interpretation of the study results
- Full text:20250718111948574122025021215194211_MJMHS_0140.pdf
