Affiliations: [a] Boston University, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston, MA, USA | [b] University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Nancy A. Baker, Boston University, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston, MA, USA. Tel.: +1 617 489 6053; Fax: +1 617 353 7500; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: This study identified which combination of background factors, work practice, and psychosocial variables could discriminate most accurately between individuals with mild, moderate, or severe musculoskeletal discomfort in a population of 155 customer service representatives of a telecommunications company. These risk profiles were obtained for overall upper body musculoskeletal discomfort, as well as for each individual body part (neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist/hand, and back). Results of discriminant analyses suggested that risk profiles were different for each body part and could accurately classify from between 50 and 100% mild, moderate, or severe discomfort categories. These risk profiles were all highly significant (<0.01). This research identified the amount of social support, job variety, and skill utilization on the job as the psychosocial variables most often associated with musculoskeletal discomfort in this population.
