Evaluation of the effects of training given to ergonomic problems on musculoskeletal pain of blue-collar employees working at a university

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency, severity and risk factors of musculoskeletal pain in blue-collar workers working in the Human Resources Department of a university and to evaluate the effect of the ergonomic information intervention on the frequency and severity of musculoskeletal pain. The research was conducted in a cross-sectional and interventional manner, and data was collected three times. The data for the situation determination study was collected in May 2023 through a face-to-face interview, then an information conference was held for all employees, then visuals about ergonomic working posture were shared with employees through online groups at intervals, brochures were distributed through on-site visits, and posters were hung in places where employees could see them. Data was collected for the first follow-up of the study in November 2023, and for the second follow-up in May 2024. During the status determination phase, 32.7% of the employees stated that they had pain in the neck area, 25.1% in the waist area, 23.7% in the back area, 22.1% in the shoulder area, 14.2% in the knee area, 10.9% in the foot area, 9.0% in the hand area, 7.4% in the elbow area, and 6.3% in the hip area in the last 12 months. After the ergonomic working posture information provided during the follow-up period, there was a significant decrease in the frequency of pain in the neck, shoulder, back, waist and knee regions, while there was an increase in the frequency of hip pain (p<0.05). The VAS scores of the employees who had pain in all body regions at the beginning showed a significant decrease (p<0.05). The ratio of the rate of MSD in at least one body region to the rate of detection in the 6th month after the intervention was 0.54. The rate of MSD in the post-intervention period decreased by 45.6% compared to the pre-intervention period. The incidence rate of MSD in at least one body region in the first 6 months after the intervention was 29.3% and 15.0% in the second 6 months. This study showed that health training is effective but does not maintain the same effectiveness for a long time, and that training has limited effectiveness without taking engineering and administrative measures in the workplace and work environment. Key Words: Ergonomics, Musculoskeletal Diseases, Worker Health, Interventional Study, Health Promotion