HOME WORKSPACE ERGONOMICS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS IN NEWLY REMOTE EMPLOYEES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Öz
Many employees transitioned abruptly to remote work in 2020, often without ergonomic workstations, increasing musculoskeletal pain risk. Although the rate of remote work has decreased since the pandemic, approximately one-third of employees in the United States and more than a quarter of employees in Turkey still work remotely or in hybrid models. This cross-sectional study examined differences in pain and musculoskeletal symptoms by ergonomic risk level and home workplace type and identified determinants of pain intensity among new remote workers. A total of 259 participants (162 women, 97 men; mean age = 32.80 ± 8.44 years) were assessed using the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) for ergonomic risk, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain intensity, and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) for regional symptoms. Overall, 72.1% of participants were determined as high-risk (ROSA ≥ 5). The high-risk group reported significantly greater pain intensity during the last seven days than the low-risk group (p < 0.001). Within-group analyses showed pain decrease in the low-risk group and pain increase in the high-risk group compared with the previous 12 months (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, respectively). Binary logistic regression identified the total ROSA score as the only significant predictor of high pain intensity (OR = 1.50, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that cumulative ergonomic risk, rather than demographic or occupational factors, plays a key role in musculoskeletal discomfort among home-based workers, highlighting the importance of ergonomic interventions to support healthy and sustainable remote work.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Employee, Ergonomics, Rapid Office Strain Assessment, Musculoskeletal Pain, Remote Work
Etik Beyan
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Kaynakça
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