Objective: To investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in workers of Fort Prajaksilapakom Hospital.
Material and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires requesting demographic data and report of pain symptoms occurring within the last one month. In addition, the HRQoL questionnaire (Thai SF-36v2) was used to study the SF-36v2 score. Musculoskeletal pain was divided into five groups: 1) no pain, 2) pain at one site, 3) pain at two sites, 4) pain at three sites and 5) pain at four sites. The association between the SF-36v2 score and
musculoskeletal pain was evaluated using multivariable linear regression analysis.
Results: Of 726 hospital workers, 485 (66.8%) participated in the present study. The majority of participants were female (65.3%) and comprised non-health care providers (56.3%) with a mean age of 37+11.5 years (range: 20-59). The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain during the last one month was 77.0%. Musculoskeletal pain was mostly reported at the lower extremities (50.8%), followed by low back (48.2), the neck (40.5%) and the upper extremities (33.0%). Multiple sites pain (pain at more than one site) was 51%. Each subscale score of the Thai SF-36v2 was significantly lower in participants with pain than in those without pain (physical functioning; p<0.001, physical role; p = 0.001, bodily pain; p<0.001, general health; p<0.001, vitality; p<0.001, social functioning; p = 0.02, emotion role; p = 0.003 and mental health; p<0.001). Multiple pain sites were more likely to be associated with lower HRQoL.
Conclusion: The present study showed the high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and negative impact on HRQoL in
workers of Fort Prajaksilapakom Hospital. The number of sites of musculoskeletal pain was associated with a reduction in the quality of life.

Keywords: Musculoskeletal pain, Prevalence, Health related Quality of life, Questionnaire, Thai SF-36v2, Hospital worker