Background: Early intervention educ

Background: Early intervention educators who serve children with special needs often suffer from
physical strains. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of work-related
musculoskeletal disorders in this population, and to evaluate the relationship between work-related
musculoskeletal disorders and personal/ergonomic risk factors.
Methods: A self-designed questionnaire consisting three domains (demographics/prevalence of workrelated
musculoskeletal disorders/ergonomic risk factors) was delivered to educators who work in
early intervention institutions.
Results: Ninety-four percent of early intervention educators suffered from musculoskeletal disorders.
Logistic regression revealed that some work-related ergonomic factors were highly associated with
symptoms on lower back, shoulder and neck, with odds ratios ranging from 0.321 to 4.256.
Conclusion: High prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders impacts this occupation negatively.
Further regulations to the institutions regarding workplace health promotion and environment
modification, as well as training to the employees for body mechanics, should be implemented to
prevent injury occurrence.

2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.