Assessment of Risk Factors Related to Body Pain Complaints in Tanzania Construction Industry

Abstract

The construction industry is associated with risks that can result in musculoskeletal diseases. Although young male workers who are presumed to be healthy dominate the industry in Tanzania, body pain complaints have been widely reported. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and causes of body pains in workers. A cross-sectional study involving 396 workers was conducted. A chi square test was used for testing association of independent categorical variables and binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors for body pain complaints. The results show that all study participants complained of at least one form of body pain with back pain at 87.6%, shoulder pain at 62.9% and neck pain at 25.8%. Both sociodemographic factors as well as biomechanical risks factors were found to be determinants for pain in the neck and shoulder. However, none of the factors were found to be statistically significant for back pain.