Prevalence of Back Pain among Taxi Drivers in Klang Valley

Abstract

A study on back pain among taxi drivers has been conducted in Klang Valley. It was done to identify the risk factors and the effects of back pain among taxi drivers. This study was conducted using a set of questionnaire developed based on the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). One hundred taxi drivers were randomly selected as respondents from three different taxi stations; Bandar Kajang taxi station, Kuala Lumpur Central Station, and Bandar Serdang taxi station. The result of this study shows smoking habits, no regular exercise, lifting passenger’s luggage, prolonged sitting, twisting and bending during driving, long duration of driving and lack of education and knowledge are the factors that can be associated with the prevalence of back pain among taxi drivers. As a result from back pain, most taxi drivers had reported that they have difficulty when lying in bed, walk slower than before and often absent from work.