Prevalence and risk factors for neck pain and low back pain among female primary school teachers in Bandar Bukit Mahkota

Musculoskeletal Diseases (MSDs) are among the most widespread and severe occupational health issues, and school teachers are employees with a high rate of MSDs. Several studies have reported a high prevalence of low back pain and neck pain among primary school teachers. An increasing proportion of female teachers compared to male teachers is positively associated with the prevalence of musculoskeletal health issues. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of neck pain and low back and the risk factors among female primary school teachers. This study also identified the association between individual factors, work characteristics, occupational factors, neck pain, and low back pain among female primary school teachers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 female primary school teachers in Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Mahkota. The questionnaire's demographic characteristics included age, height and weight, and lifestyle surveyed. The working characteristic was assessed using the questions for years in the current job, working hours per week, hours of lessons per week, and hours of working with a computer per day. Occupational risk factors were assessed using the questions derived from the standardized Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (DMQ) based on those specifically related to school teachers. In addition, the final component of the questionnaire included anatomical diagrams of the indicated locations and focused on musculoskeletal pain according to the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) to determine prevalence. The 12-month prevalence of neck and low back pain among the respondents was 78.0% and 70.0%, respectively. Two risk factors were significantly associated with neck pain: age (p = 0.027) and working with a hand above the shoulder (p =0.035). For low back pain, having enough rest time (p = 0.070) was significantly associated with low back pain. High prevalence of neck and low back pain had shown among female primary school teachers in Bandar Bukit Mahkota. Individual and occupational factors can contribute to neck and low back pain among female primary school teachers.