Materials and methods
This study was designed as a cross-sectional
analytic investigation of 142 university office staff
(116 women and 26 men). The participants were
invited and interviewed before entering into this
study. They were considered eligible for inclusion
in this study if they were a full-time university
employee and had at least one-year work
experience in their current position. Participants
were excluded if they had chronic musculoskeletal
diseases or injuries affecting cervical, thoracic or
lumbar spine, renal dysfunction or unwillingness
to participate. Participants were interviewed by
using a structured questionnaire dealing with
demographic characteristics, musculoskeletal pain
and the onset of symptoms, and working
environment. Here, we define musculoskeletal
pain as the pain experienced in the spine area or
more specifically between the inferior angle of the
scapula and the gluteal folds, or between the
buttocks and the vertebrae prominence as detailed
by Maniadakis and Gray [9]. Participants reported
the region of pain by putting X on the area of a
body chart (drawing) where he/she had pain. The
severities and causes of pain were evaluated from a
questionnaire.