Effect of informal employment on the relationship between psychosocial work risk factors and musculoskeletal pain in Central American workers

David Gimeno Ruiz De Porras, Marianela Rojas Garbanzo, Aurora Aragón, Lino Carmenate-Milián, Fernando G. Benavides

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Introduction: The constant increase on the psychosocial demands experienced at work seems to contribute to the increase in health problems such as musculoskeletal pain (MSP). This association may be especially important in low-income and middle-income countries, where there is a large proportion of informal workers among whom there is little research. We analysed the association between psychosocial work risk factors and MSP among formal and informal workers using the First Central American Survey of Working Conditions and Health. Methods: This is a representative sample (n=12 024) of the economically active population of the six Spanish-speaking countries of Central America. Prevalence ratios (PR) and corresponding 95% CIs from Poisson regression models were used to estimate the association between psychosocial work risk factors and the MSP. Results: Compared with formal workers, informal workers reported higher prevalence of MPS in the body regions analysed (ie, cervicodorsal, lumbosacral, upper extremities) and higher exposure to psychosocial work risk factors. However, on the whole, the associations between the exposure to psychosocial work risk factors and the prevalence of MSP were similar for both formal and informal workers. Only the association between exposure to high demands and MSP in the upper extremities was higher (p=0.012) among formal (PR=1.69, 95% CI 1.46 to 1.96) than among informal workers (PR=1.40; 95% CI 1.30 to 1.51). Conclusion: Exposure to adverse levels of psychosocial work risk factors is associated with higher prevalence of MPS among both formal and informal workers. However, the role of employment informality in this association is complex and requires further examination.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)645-651
Number of pages7
JournalOccupational and Environmental Medicine
Volume74
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • formal economy
  • labour market
  • occupational health, survey
  • working conditions

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effect of informal employment on the relationship between psychosocial work risk factors and musculoskeletal pain in Central American workers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this