White-Collar Teen Workers
Face High Body Pain Risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teens employed in so-called "white-collar" jobs such as office work and sales are more likely than those doing more physical work to develop musculoskeletal pain, such as in their back or neck, new research reports.

A survey of 502 students in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades revealed that more than one-third had musculoskeletal pain at least once a week during the previous 6 months. Teen workers, in general, appeared more likely than non-employed teens to develop this type of pain, but office workers and people in sales were more likely than those doing childcare or more physical work--such as yard work, construction or maintenance--to experience the problem.

Musculoskeletal problems that pop up at a young age often resurface later, and teens may need help to treat these problems or prevent them before they occur, the authors note. "As more and more adolescents are working at part-time jobs, while in school, occupational health issues must be addressed in this population," they write.

In the current study, Dr. Debbie Ehrmann Feldman of the University of Montreal and Direction de la Sante Publique de Montreal Center in Quebec and her colleagues distributed questionnaires to 502 teens three times over 12 months. The respondents indicated if they experienced frequent neck, back, shoulder, arm, hip, knee or leg pain, and what type of work they did, if any. The researchers also recorded the teens' mood and anxiety to determine if they were depressed or had any other mental health problems.

Feldman and her team found that, relative to unemployed students, those working physical jobs were almost twice as likely to have musculoskeletal problems, and had triple the risk if they were working white-collar jobs. Those in childcare appeared to be 50% more likely than unemployed teens to develop musculoskeletal pain, they note in the October issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Why people in different jobs showed a different risk of body pain was not clear, the authors write, but certain types of work may predispose people to develop certain types of musculoskeletal problems.

"Possibly, adolescents who work in blue-collar type of jobs are generally more fit and capable of doing more physical type of work," Feldman and colleagues suggest. "Both childcare and white-collar type jobs (e.g., office work) which put demands on the upper extremities, may predispose one to neck, shoulder and back problems."

Students reported feeling more pain when they worked during the school year than with summer employment, the authors add, suggesting that the stress of working and going to school at the same time may increase the risk of developing musculoskeletal problems.

SOURCE: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2002;44:956-961.

Reference Source 89

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