Ergonomic risk factors and musculoskeletal symptoms in administrative workers of the Ecuafuturo cooperative, Ambato, Ecuador
Abstract
Musculoskeletal disorders are among the leading occupational pathologies, yet ergonomics is often underestimated despite its multifactorial nature. This study assessed the association between ergonomic risk factors and musculoskeletal symptoms among administrative workers at the Ecuafuturo savings and credit cooperative in Ambato. An observational cross‑sectional design was used; ergonomic risks were evaluated with the ROSA method and symptoms with the Nordic questionnaire. Thirty‑eight workers participated; the most frequent symptoms affected the neck (55%), shoulder (42%), and lower back (48%). A moderate‑to‑strong association was found between ergonomic risk factors and symptoms in the shoulder, elbow, and lower back. Overall, 95.1% of workers reported at least one symptom, several in multiple regions, and 45% were classified as high risk due to awkward postures.
Downloads
References
Arippa, F., Nguyen, A., Pau, M., y Harris Adamson, C. (2022). Postural strategies among office workers during a prolonged sitting bout. Applied Ergonomics, 102, 103723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103723
Barragán-Aldaz, K. B., Molina-Delgado, J. R., Comas-Rodríguez, R., y Navarrete-Arboleda, E. D. (2023). Prevalencia de trastornos musculoesqueléticos en el personal de salud operativo. Revista Arbitrada Interdisciplinaria De Ciencias De La Salud. Salud Y Vida, 7(2), 598-605. https://doi.org/10.35381/s.v.v7i2.3376
Bryan, J. (2019). Análisis de los riesgos disergonómicos del personal administrativo del área de comercialización de la Emapa I [Tesis de pregrado, Universidad Técnica del Norte]. Repositorio Universidad Técnica del Norte. https://n9.cl/6aneu
Chávez Vera, D. A. (2022). Análisis de los riesgos ergonómicos del personal administrativo que labora en el Municipio de Esmeraldas [Tesis de maestría, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Sede Esmeraldas]. Repositorio Institucional PUCE. https://n9.cl/7frev1
Fan, L. J., Liu, S., Jin, T., Gan, J. G., Wang, F. Y., Wang, H. T., & Lin, T. (2022). Ergonomic risk factors and work related musculoskeletal disorders in clinical physiotherapy. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1083609. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1083609
Fernández Muñiz, B., Montes Peón, J. M., y Vázquez Ordás, C. J. (2017). Safety climate in OHSAS 18001 certified organisations: Antecedents and consequences of safety behaviour. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 98, 50-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2016.09.011
Garzón Falcon, S. E. (2021). Evaluación de los síntomas músculoesqueléticos del personal administrativo del Banco Visionfund Ecuador S.A. de la ciudad de Ibarra 2021. [Tesis de licenciatura, Universidad Técnica del Norte]. Repositorio digital UTN. https://n9.cl/ruf45
Hulshof, C. T. J., Pega, F., Neupane, S., Colosio, C., Daams, J. G., Kc, P., Kuijer, P. P. F. M., Mandic Rajcevic, S., Masci, F., van der Molen, H. F., Nygård, C. H., Oakman, J., Proper, K. I., & Wijnhoven, M. (2021). The effect of occupational exposure to ergonomic risk factors on osteoarthritis of hip or knee and selected other musculoskeletal diseases: A systematic review and meta analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work related Burden of Disease and Injury. Environment International, 150, 106349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106349
Jacquier Bret, J., Gorce, P. (2023). Prevalence of body area work related musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare professionals: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 841. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010841
Katz, J. N. (2006). Lumbar disc disorders and low back pain: Socioeconomic factors and consequences. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American Volume, 88(Suppl. 2), 21-24. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.E.01273
Matute-Herrera, A. M., Molina-Delgado, J. R., Comas-Rodríguez, R., & Matheu-González, C. (2023). Prevalencia de trastornos musculo esqueléticos en personal administrativo de un hospital. Revista Arbitrada Interdisciplinaria De Ciencias De La Salud. Salud Y Vida, 7(2), 835–842. https://doi.org/10.35381/s.v.v7i2.3472
Santos, W., Rojas, C., Isidoro, R., Lorente, A., Dias, A., Mariscal, G., Benlloch, M., y Lorente, R. (2025). Efficacy of ergonomic interventions on work related musculoskeletal pain: A systematic review and meta analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(9), 3034. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14093034
Valencia Romero, J., Anchundia Franco, R., Zambrano Garcés, K., y Álava Navarrete, O. (2022). Ergonomía, una prioridad en la salud ocupacional. Polo del Conocimiento, 7(9), 2270-2281. https://n9.cl/7ce5n
Vallejo Morán, J. C. (2020). Evaluación ergonómica mediante el método ROSA en docentes con teletrabajo de la UTEQ. [Tesis de pregrado, Universidad Técnica de Quevedo]. Repositorio UTEQ. https://n9.cl/6lksh
Woolf, A. D., Vos, T., & March, L. (2010). How to measure the impact of musculoskeletal conditions. Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology, 24(6), 723-732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.berh.2010.11.002
Yánez, L. (2020). Aplicación del cuestionario Nórdico para el análisis de la sintomatología musculoesquelética en odontólogos de la provincia de Pichincha. [Tesis de licenciatura, Universidad de Las Américas]. Repositorio UDLA. https://n9.cl/1rwqd
Yolis, C. (2020). Prevalencia de trastornos musculoesqueléticos y posturas forzadas en cajeros de una institución bancaria. [Tesis de pregrado, Universidad Internacional SEK]. Repositorio Universidad Internacional SEK. https://n9.cl/26ccys
Copyright (c) 2026 Patricia Maribel Cárdenas-Paredes, Manuel Ricardo-Velázquez, Becker Santiago Neto-Mullo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
CC BY-NC-SA : Esta licencia permite a los reutilizadores distribuir, remezclar, adaptar y construir sobre el material en cualquier medio o formato solo con fines no comerciales, y solo siempre y cuando se dé la atribución al creador. Si remezcla, adapta o construye sobre el material, debe licenciar el material modificado bajo términos idénticos.
URL de OAI-PMH: https://iieakoinonia.org/ojs3/index.php/gestioep/oai
