Upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders and poor physical health related quality of life among working women in low wage jobs in rural North Carolina

We examined the relationship between moderate to severe upper-extremity musculoskeletal symptoms (UEMSDs) in the past 12 months and low physical health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using cross-sectional data from 590 women in low wage jobs in rural northeastern North Carolina. In this area, there is a black majority and poultry processing is the largest single employer of women. By design, approximately half of the study population was poultry workers. Those in the lowest quartile for physical HRQOL measured by the SF-12 were considered to have low HRQOL. Severity of UEMSDs was measured using items developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Research Program for the Prevention of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders. More than 34% of women employed in poultry processing experienced moderate to severe UEMSD symptoms, compared with 10% of other working women in the community. In each population, approximately 30% of low HRQOL is attributable to UEMSDs. In the overall population, low HRQOL was 3.32 times more prevalent among those with severe UEMSDs (95% CI 2.56-4.31). Other factors independently associated with low HRQOL were frequency of physical exhaustion at the end of the work day (never or seldom, often, always), presence of other chronic diseases, and the duration a woman could live without her paycheck before she had significant hardship.