Iran Occupational Health

Background and aims: Neck disorders among office workers are one of the main causes of the increase in the job absence, Jobs turnover and health care costs. Different factors are attributed to the occurrence of neck disorders. This study was carried out to investigate the association of psychosocial factors associated with the incidence of neck disorders in office workers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 224 office workers of SUMS participated. Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire (NMQ) and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) were used as data collection tools. Statistical analysis were performed using SPSS (ver. 19).

Results: 71.7% of office workers experienced neck symptoms during the last 12 months. Statistical analysis revealed that perceived psychological demands (lack of enough time to do the tasks and job tenure) were significantly associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in neck region.

Conclusion: Neck disorders had high prevalence among office workers of SUMS. Lack of time and job tenure was found to be associated with neck symptoms. Interventional programs to prevent neck symptoms should be focused on the psychological demands and job tenure.