TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - A systematic review and meta-analysis of musculoskeletal disorders among firefighters
JO  - Journal of safety research
A1  - Tahernejad, Somayeh
A1  - Farahi-Ashtiani, Iman
A1  - Veisani, Yousef
A1  - Ghaffari, Sina
A1  - Sahebi, Ali
A1  - Makki, Faezeh
SP  - 374
EP  - 381
VL  - 88
IS  - 
N2  - INTRODUCTION: Due to the nature of their job, firefighters face many ergonomic risk factors and are exposed to several musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the prevalence of MSDs among firefighters. <br><br>MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted based on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The literature search was conducted in the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, SID, ISC and Google Scholar without applying a time limitation until the end of July 2022. The random effects model was used for meta-analysis, and the I(2) index was used to check heterogeneity among studies. The data were analyzed using STATA version 14 software. <br><br>RESULTS: The primary literature searches in the databases identified 1,291 articles, 26 of which were entered the meta-analysis stage after screening, study selection, and quality assessment, including 36,342 firefighters. Based on the results of a meta-analysis, the overall prevalence of MSDs among firefighters was 46.39% (95% CI: 32.45-60.32, I(2) = 99.7%, P < 0.001). The prevalence of MSDs was also investigated at neck (18.36%), low back (34.32%), shoulder (18.68%), hands (7.43%), upper back (10.15%), knee (19.97%) and foot (6.66%). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Considering the relatively high prevalence of MSDs among firefighters and their higher exposition to specific job-related risk factors of MSDs compared to other professions, it is suggested to provide firefighters with appropriate training, implement ergonomic interventions, and regularly screen them to reduce MSDs.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0022-4375
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2023.11.009
ID  - ref1
ER  -