Work ability, musculoskeletal symptoms and quality of life among community health workers in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to assess work ability (WA), socioeconomic aspects, quality of life (QoL), and musculoskeletal symptoms, as well as the associations between them in community health workers (CHW) in the town of Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total of 47 CHW participated in the survey (42 women and 5 men), with an average age of 37.26 12.74 years, who answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Nordic Questionnaire of Musculoskeletal Symptoms, the Questionnaire on Quality of Life SF-36, and the Work Ability Index. Inferential analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's correlation test, with a 5% significance level. Of the CHW interviewed, 82.98% had had musculoskeletal symptoms within the last 7 days and 93.62% within the last 12 months. The most compromised QoL domain was pain, followed by vitality, social aspects, mental health, general health status, emotional aspects, physical appearance, and functional capacity. The mean value for WA was 36.51 7.95. The comparison between gender and WA indicated that a greater number of women had an inadequate capacity. A higher incidence of symptoms implied an inadequate capacity. The lower the QoL scores, the lower WA.