Prevalence and Severity of Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Basketry Handicraft Workers in Phayao Province

Abstract

This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to examine the prevalence and severity of upper limb musculoskeletal symptoms, including symptoms of the arms, hands, and fingers, among basketry handicraft workers in Phayao Province. The sample consisted of 127 basketry handicraft workers. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The findings showed that most participants were female (69.29%), had a mean age of 63.65 ± 11.18 years, were older than 60 years (66.14%), and were right-hand dominant (86.61%). Regarding the prevalence of pain during both the past 7 days and the past 12 months, the right shoulder was the most frequently affected area (77.95% and 76.38%, respectively), followed by the right thumb and right arm. In terms of symptom severity, the right thumb had the highest mean severity scores during both the past 7 days (2.83 ± 1.27) and the past 12 months (2.77 ± 1.36), followed by the right index finger and right shoulder, respectively. These findings indicate that basketry handicraft workers experienced work-related musculoskeletal symptoms of the arms, hands, and fingers in several body areas, particularly on the right side of the body. The findings may serve as baseline information for occupational health surveillance and ergonomic interventions appropriate to basketry work.