Affiliations: [a]
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| [b]
Federal University of Alagoas – Campus do Sertão, Alagoas, Brazil
| [c]
Aeronautics Institute of Technology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| [d]
Federal University of Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Jonhatan Magno Norte da Silva, Federal University of Alagoas –Backland Campus, Highway AL-145, Cidade Universitária, Delmiro Gouveia, Alagoas, Brazil. E-mail: jonhatan.silva@delmiro.ufal.br.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders for upper limbs (UL-WMSDs) form a complex of occupational diseases common to many professions worldwide. UL-WMSDs are manifested in most cases by pain, resulting in musculoskeletal discomfort. OBJECTIVE:
This research aimed to evaluate the perception of musculoskeletal discomfort in workers from the interior of the Brazilian states of Alagoas and Bahia through the construction of a scale to assess musculoskeletal discomfort for upper limb. METHODS:
The discomfort assessment scale was constructed from self-reported pain symptoms by 420 workers from the inner regions of the Brazilian states of Alagoas and Bahia. The reliability and dimensionality of the collected data were analyzed by McDonald’s Omega and exploratory factor analysis, respectively. Item Response Theory (IRT) was used to create parameters for the discomfort scale. RESULTS:
The musculoskeletal discomfort metric was constructed from the workers’ response with six levels (varying from minimum discomfort to maximum discomfort). At the lowest level of the scale, workers indicated symptoms in the shoulders and wrists were rare. At the highest level of the scale, daily pain symptoms are reported in all regions of the upper limbs. The shoulders are the last region to develop extreme pain symptoms. CONCLUSION:
The metric was created to present satisfactory psychometric properties and capable measurement of the workers’ level of musculoskeletal discomfort based on self-reported pain symptoms. Therefore, the metric can support measuring discomfort, contributing to decisions that improve a healthier occupational environment for the worker.
