[The association of musculoskeletal symptoms with teenage work in Iceland].

INTRODUCTION: Musculoskeletal symptoms are common in adolescence, and may predispose a person to more occurrences in adulthood. Musculoskeletal problems have increased in the adult work force in recent years, becoming one of the most common causes of workers' disability, particularly among women. However, there is a lack of research on the association between musculoskeletal symptoms and teenage work. The aim of this research is to examine the association between four types of musculoskeletal symptoms (aches in joints and/or muscles, aches in the neck or shoulders, backache, and myalgia) and the level of term-time work among Icelandic teenagers, by gender, age, and educational status of the parents.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey was carried out in the first half of 2018 amongst 2800 teenagers, aged 13-19, randomly selected from the Registers Iceland. The response rate was 48.6%. The young people were asked how often they had experienced musculoskeletal symptoms in the last 12 months, and then were divided into three groups according to their level of term-time work: non-workers; moderate workers (≤ 12 h/w and/or in irregular work); and intensive workers (> 12) h/w and in regular work). A Chi-square test was used to test statistical significance: 95% confidence interval (CI). The results show that intensive term-time workers are more prone to suffer from all four types of musculoskeletal symptoms than non-workers. The association persists for backache independent of demographic factors, and for all measured musculoskeletal symptoms among girls. Conclusion is that the working conditions of Icelandic teenagers need to be improved so that they do not give rise to musculoskeletal symptoms. In particular, the working conditions of young females need to be examined, as well as the conditions that lead to occupational backache.