Factors Related to Neck and Shoulder Pain among the Royal Thai Air Force Pilots, Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out factors related to neck and shoulder pain among The Royal Thai Air Force pilots Bangkok Thailand and find the association between personal characteristic, job characteristic and musculoskeletal disorder (neck and shoulder pain). A total of 126 pilots were recruited in April 2014. The structured questionnaire was used to assess personal characteristic, job characteristic and musculoskeletal disorder (Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire). The result showed that prevalence of neck and shoulder pains among these pilots in the past 12 months were 62.7% and 56.3%, respectively. For personal characteristics factors, only often drinking alcohol more than one time per week factor was associated with neck pain among the Royal Thai Air Force pilots Bangkok, Thailand (p-value = .004) Besides, drinking alcohol more than one time per week was associated with shoulder pain (p-value = .042). From this study, it suggested that exercising program and reducing drinking alcohol behaviors were recommended for the pilots to enhance their work performance and health.