Self-Reported Musculoskeletal Disorders and Quality of Life in Supermarket Cashiers

Fahad Saad Algarni, Hatem Askar Alkhaldi, Hamayun Zafar, Shaji John Kachanathu, Abdullah M. Al-Shenqiti and Abdulrahman Mohammed Altowaijri
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Fahad Saad Algarni: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Hatem Askar Alkhaldi: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
Hamayun Zafar: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Shaji John Kachanathu: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah M. Al-Shenqiti: Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Taibah University, Medina 42353, Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman Mohammed Altowaijri: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 24, 1-14

Abstract: Supermarket cashiers face a significant amount of stress, including time constraints, mental pressure, and physical demands that require repetitive movements. The job description of a supermarket cashier involves work-related risk factors that may lead to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) symptoms. This study aimed to investigate supermarket cashiers to determine the prevalence of MSD symptoms and their quality of life. Data were collected from a convenience sample of supermarket cashiers working in Saudi Arabia. Information included direct questions on pain in the previous 12 months, demographic data, and health- or occupation-related factors. Moreover, data was collected based on the 36-item short form survey (SF-36), and descriptive statistics were computed. A total of 193 supermarket cashiers participated in this study. The sample included 140 men (72.5%) and 53 women (27.5%), with a mean age of 27.2 ± 6.4 years. The majority of the participants (90%) had MSD symptoms in at least one body region, with the neck (66.84%) and lower back (65.80%) constituting the most prominent regions. The mean SF-36 scores were higher in participants without pain compared to participants with pain in all domains, except for the physical functioning domain. The high prevalence of MSD symptoms among young cashiers suggest the need for additional investigations to determine the risk factors of these disorders. Additionally, this study recommends preventive procedures to reduce the prevalence of MSD symptoms among cashiers.

Keywords: supermarket cashiers; repetitive work; musculoskeletal disorders; quality of life; occupational injuries; work-related disabilities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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