Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among garment workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundGarment workers are at high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to repetitive physical tasks, long working hours and varying workstations. As there is no existing epidemiological overview of MSDs among garment workers, this systematic review aimed to evaluate the global evidence on prevalence of MSDs in this population.MethodsA systematic review of the literature was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science electronic databases were searched to identify studies published in English up to November 2022. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate pooled prevalence.ResultsThe search yielded 258 published studies, of which 14 were deemed relevant and were included in this review. The included studies reported prevalence from India (n=3), Bangladesh (n=2), Ethiopia (n=2), Thailand (n=2), Botswana (n=1), Iran (n=1), Sri Lanka (n=1), Cambodia (n=1) and Denmark (n=1) and involved 15 029 garment workers. Most of the included studies (79%) were assessed to be methodologically sound (low risk of bias). The mean age of participants ranged from 24.2 to 40 years. The prevalence of MSDs ranged from 15.5% to 92%. The pooled prevalence of MSDs from nine studies was 65.6% (95% CI 44.5% to 51.9%). Low back pain and neck pain were reported as the common MSDs in the included studies.ConclusionsThe findings highlight the considerable risk of MSDs, especially low back and neck pain, linked to repetitive tasks, extended hours and inconsistent workstations. Given the heavy toll of MSDs on this workforce, targeted interventions and ergonomic improvements are crucial to mitigate the risks and improve garment workers’ well-being.