Influence of gender and age on musculoskeletal symptoms in white-collar and blue-collar workers: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among blue-collar and white-collar workers stratified by gender and age. Methods . The sample was composed of 390 blue-collar and 510 white-collar workers. Musculoskeletal symptoms were evaluated using the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire. An independent t test or Mann-Whitney test was used for inter-group comparisons. The χ 2 association test was applied for categorical variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the influence of gender and age on musculoskeletal symptoms. Results . The prevalence of shoulder, lower back and ankle/foot symptoms was higher among blue-collar workers compared to white-collar workers. In the analysis stratified by gender, female blue-collar workers had a higher frequency of shoulder symptoms and male blue-collar workers had a higher frequency of lower back symptoms. In the analysis stratified by age, younger blue collar-workers had a higher frequency of shoulder, lower back and ankle/foot symptoms compared to young white-collar workers, and older white-collar workers had a higher frequency of neck symptoms compared to older blue-collar workers. Conclusions . Gender and age exerted an influence on self-reported symptoms in blue-collar and white-collar workers.