Musculoskeletal pain and its associated risk factors in residents of National Capital Region

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal (MS) pain is responsible for poor quality of life and decreased productivity. Objective information about the burden of musculoskeletal disorders among the general community in India is scanty, and the few reports that exist are based on a small sample size. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This paper examines the issue of MS pain and its associated risk factors in a cross-sectional study of 2086 subjects from National Capital Region (NCR). RESULTS: Overall prevalence of MS pain was found to be 25.9%. Pain was found to be more frequent among females (31.3%) as compared with males (20.9%). Significant association of pain in joints/limbs/knee/lower legs with obesity (OR = 2.1, P < 0.001) and high body fat (OR = 2.2, P < 0.001) was established. More than 50% of the subjects complained of backache. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm that MS pain is a significant burden of disease among the residents of NCR. Women and subjects doing heavy work load, like agriculture and dairy farming, constitute the chief demographic groups. It is high time that a policy is framed to reduce this load of sickness.