Keywords
Neck disability
Bus Rapid Transit drivers
working hours
Peshawar
How to Cite
Abstract
Background: Neck pain, or cervicalgia, is a common musculoskeletal condition and a leading cause of disability worldwide, with a lifetime prevalence reaching up to 70%. It is particularly prevalent among individuals in physically demanding jobs, such as bus drivers, due to prolonged sitting, poor posture, and repetitive neck movements. These factors contribute to muscle fatigue, joint stress, and cervical spine dysfunction. As global populations age—especially in low- and middle-income countries—the burden of neck pain is expected to rise, impacting both individual well-being and workplace productivity.
Objective: •To find out the prevalence of non-specific neck pain among bus rapid transit drivers in Peshawar, Pakistan.
- To find out neck disability among prolonged working hours in bus rapid transit drivers.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study survey was conducted among 242 male BRT drivers aged 25 years or above. The study utilized convenience sampling, with data collected through two standardized tools: the numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) for pain assessment and Neck Disability Index (NDI) for disability measurement.
Results: The mean age of the male participants is 2.32±.573, N=242. The Duration of working hours out of 242 participants 21.9% work 1-8 hours, while 52.9% work 9-12 hours and 25.2% work for 13-16 hours. Results revealed a high prevalence of neck pain among drivers, with 86.0% reporting mild pain and 9.9% experiencing moderate pain. While prevalence of neck pain among participants (86.0%) reported experiencing mild pain. Only 4.1% reported no pain, while moderate was reported by 9.9%. Neck disability among participants (71.9%) reported mild disability, while 10.3% experienced moderate disability. Only 17.8% reported no disability, while there is no severe and complete disability. The Cross-tabulation analysis showed a significant correlation between prolonged working hours, neck pain and neck disability (p 0.000).
Conclusion: The findings of this study shows significant prevalence of non-specific neck pain among Bus rapid transit drivers in Peshawar. And there is high significant association of working hours on neck pain and disability.