Musculoskeletal Disorders among Afghan Immigrants Living in the Cities of Tehran and Qom, Iran

Background: Nowadays, Musculoskeletal disorders are of great concern in job health issues due to their prevalence rate which is relatively high among various occupations. Afghan immigrants working in Iran are exposed to the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. This study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders among Afghan refugees living in Tehran and Qom. Methods and Materials: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study population included 185 parents of Afghan refugee secondary and high school students living in Tehran and Qom in 2016. Data collection tool was Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 13 for descriptive and statistical analysis. Results: The results showed that the highest prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders was related to the legs with 49.7%, and the lowest rate was related to the lower back with 17.3%. The results showed that the neck disorder was significantly associated with the three variables of age, sex, and education level; lower back disorder was associated with age, and education level; arm disorder was associated with age; and leg disorder was associated with the level of education (p <.05) while no significant correlation was observed between the upper back disorder and age, gender, and education level (p >.05) Conclusion: According to the high prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders among Afghan refugees living in Iran, the need for educational interventions designed to reduce musculoskeletal disorders seems necessary.