Developing a Tool and Psychometric Test for Assessing Work‑Related Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Among Agricultural Workers for Primary Care Units (WRMA)

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to develop a screening tool to assess work-related musculoskeletal disorder risk during work by agricultural workers for use in primary care units. A sequential mixed-method design was used to develop this tool. Design: A quantitative study was conducted using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Methods: The study’s participants were 160 and 240 cultivating agriculturalists, respectively. Findings: The results showed that work-related musculoskeletal disorders risk was composed of 3 factors: hard work, long working hours, and improper work posture. The indicators had a range of communities from 0.566 to. 788 and the three factors accounted for 66.03% of the variance. The factor loading of the 14 items ranged from. 245 to. 744. two of the items were deleted. The remaining 12 items were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. The measurement model of the WRMA fitted the empirical data (P > .05). Conclusions: Finally, the WRMA’s construct validity was affirmed. Further studies should be conducted to test the WRMA’s other psychometric properties. This tool can be used to screen agricultural workers for musculoskeletal problems in a primary care unit.