TY - JOUR
T1 - Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among occupational fishermen
T2 - a systematic literature review
AU - Nørgaard Remmen, Line
AU - Fromsejer Heiberg, Regina
AU - Høyrup Christiansen, David
AU - Herttua, Kimmo
AU - Berg-Beckhoff, Gabriele
N1 - © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
PY - 2021/6/14
Y1 - 2021/6/14
N2 - Commercial fishing constitutes an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), as it consists of heavy workloads and uncontrollable strenuous settings. The aims of this systematic review were to describe the prevalence of MSD among occupational fishermen and to identify risk factors for onset work-related MSD. All studies investigating MSD in occupational fishermen were systematically identified and reviewed. Searched databases were PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. Two independent researchers performed the quality assessments of the studies. From 292 articles identified, 16 articles consisting of 13 studies were suitable for inclusion. Prevalence of overall MSD ranged from 15% to 93%. The only consistent work-related risk factor was ‘working part time’, while other risk factors, such as vessel and job type showed conflicting results. MSDs in occupational fishermen are common across countries. Variations observed in MSD prevalence might be due to differences in methodology, populations and definitions of MSD. Evidence on work-related risk factors for MSD is sparse and most studies were of poor methodological quality. Only working part time was identified as a consistent risk factor for MSD possibly caused by a healthy worker effect. There is a need for investigating causality in longitudinal studies, including both active and retired fishermen to better understand the complexity of MSD. CRD42020147318
AB - Commercial fishing constitutes an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), as it consists of heavy workloads and uncontrollable strenuous settings. The aims of this systematic review were to describe the prevalence of MSD among occupational fishermen and to identify risk factors for onset work-related MSD. All studies investigating MSD in occupational fishermen were systematically identified and reviewed. Searched databases were PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. Two independent researchers performed the quality assessments of the studies. From 292 articles identified, 16 articles consisting of 13 studies were suitable for inclusion. Prevalence of overall MSD ranged from 15% to 93%. The only consistent work-related risk factor was ‘working part time’, while other risk factors, such as vessel and job type showed conflicting results. MSDs in occupational fishermen are common across countries. Variations observed in MSD prevalence might be due to differences in methodology, populations and definitions of MSD. Evidence on work-related risk factors for MSD is sparse and most studies were of poor methodological quality. Only working part time was identified as a consistent risk factor for MSD possibly caused by a healthy worker effect. There is a need for investigating causality in longitudinal studies, including both active and retired fishermen to better understand the complexity of MSD. CRD42020147318
KW - health and safety
KW - musculoskeletal
KW - occupational health practice
KW - workload
U2 - 10.1136/oemed-2020-106675
DO - 10.1136/oemed-2020-106675
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 33023968
VL - 78
SP - 522
EP - 529
JO - Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JF - Occupational and Environmental Medicine
SN - 1351-0711
IS - 7
ER -