The pain had an effect on work-life among university employees

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate pain characteristics and pain-related factors and their effects on work-life among
university employees using data from the Qualities Online Survey in Istanbul, Turkey in 2015.

Methods: In a crosssectional research design, the study sample consisted of a total of 122 participants. The questionnaire was responded to by
academic and administrative employees. Pain characteristics, individual and work-related factors and effect of pain on
work-life were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression.

Results: More than 80% of participants
experienced pain while working, 75.5% of them suffered from pain more than 6 months. In logistic regression, headaches
were more common in employees who experience insomnia. The risk of neck pain was about twenty-three-fold for those
experiencing ergonomic problems in the workplace in comparison to those who did not experience ergonomic problems.
Employees who had ergonomic problems had about a 15 times greater likelihood of back pain and those who experienced
stress in the workplace had a 6 times greater likelihood of back pain. The odds ratio indicates that workers who had a
headache, neck pain or back pain had a greater possibility of having a lack of concentration. Lack of concentration and the
reduction of work efficiency were respectively likely to occur due to neck pain.

Conclusions: The significant relations
underscore that several preventive interventions in the work environment may be useful to modify both individual and
work-related risk factors to prevent a headache, neck and back pain and their negative effect on work life..