Analysis of Occupational Low Back Pain Complaints with Job Stress as Intervening in Online Ojek Riders in Makassar City

Abstract

Introduction: Low back pain is one of the work-related health disorders, risk factors for low back pain complaints are age, length of work, mental workload, nutritional status, and work posture. In addition, psychological factors, such as mental stress, can cause body tension that exacerbates pain in the head, shoulders, and lower back.
Objectives: This study aims to analyze the effect of age, length of work, mental workload, nutritional status, and work posture on low back pain through work stress in online motorcycle taxi drivers in Makassar City in 2024.
Methods: This study used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design. The study sample of 192 respondents was selected using accidental sampling technique. Data were collected through a questionnaire involving various variables such as age, length of work, mental workload, work stress, and low back pain and using a waist ruler tool for measuring nutritional status and REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) sheets for measuring work posture. The test used is the chi square test using the SPSS application and path analysis using the smart pls application with a 95% confidence level (α = 0.05).
Results: The results of the direct effect analysis show that the variables of age (0.005), length of work (0.022), and mental workload (0.018) have a significant effect on work stress and there is no significant effect on the variables of nutritional status (0.957) and work posture (0.799) on work stress. Furthermore, the variables of age (0.002), mental workload (0.001), nutritional status (0.049), work posture (0.001), and work stress (0.000) have a significant effect on low back pain complaints and there is no significant effect on the variable length of work (0.468) on low back pain complaints. The indirect effect in this study shows that there is an indirect effect on the variable age (0.016), length of work (0.042), mental workload (0.030) on low back pain through work stress and there is no indirect effect on the variable nutritional status (0.958) and work posture (0.810) on low back pain through work stress.
Conclusions: Age and length of work have a significant effect both directly and indirectly on low back pain through work stress as an intervening variable.