介護職員の肩こり有訴割合と関連要因の調査研究

抄録

BACKGROUND：Adequate measures to address shoulder stiffness among nursing care staff have not been implemented, and many care nursing care staff may suffer from shoulder stiffness symptoms caused by daily physical caregiving tasks. OBJECTIVE：In the present study, we examined the prevalence of self-reported shoulder stiffness among nursing care staff and its association with the types of caregiving tasks. METHODS：A survey of 1,214 nursing care staff at long-term care facilities assessed the prevalence of self-reported shoulder stiffness. Chi-square tests and residual analysis were used to compare prevalence by sex and age group（≤39 years vs. ≥40 years）. A questionnaire examined work-related factors, and their association with shoulder stiffness symptoms was analyzed by age group using the same statistical methods. RESULTS：Valid responses were obtained from 973 participants, of whom 755（77.6%） reported shoulder stiffness. The prevalence of shoulder stiffness was significantly higher in women（83.0%）than in men（65.9%）. Residual analysis revealed that a higher proportion of women aged 40 years and older reported shoulder stiffness（83.8%）. Individuals who were aware of poor posture, perceived a shortage of staff, performed frequent lifting motions, or had many tasks requiring bending at the waist were more likely to report shoulder stiffness. There were no other associations between other work-related factors and shoulder stiffness. CONCLUSION：Shoulder stiffness was highly prevalent among nursing care workers, especially in women aged 40 years or older. Both physical factors, such as caregiving tasks and posture, and psychological factors contributed to its development.