Posture-Related Musculoskeletal Problems among Hotel Receptionists in Mumbai: A Cross-Sectional Study

Receptionists are the front-liners carrying the image of the hotel. They are involved in 8-h shift work in prolonged standing positions, exposing them to various risks.

The aim of the study was to identify the work-related musculoskeletal problems and health problems experienced by receptionists.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 receptionists from 11 hotels working in 15 three-star and 35 five-star hotels in Mumbai, using a questionnaire that included background information, Rating Scale for Discomfort Intensity, Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), and OWAS posture assessment tool. The statistical analysis of the quantitative variables was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program, version 16.0.

Receptionists generally suffered from sleeplessness (37.50%) and frequent headaches (34%) due to the change in shift timing. Severe discomfort was found in low back, calf, neck, and ankle/feet by the end of the day. The strong association between standing posture and calf pain (Phi value: 0.736; P ≤ 0.05) and standing posture and ankle pain (Phi value: 0.881; P ≤ 0.05) was found.

Prolonged standing increased the lower limbs musculo-skeletal disorders among the receptionists, whereas change in shift timing affected their sleep pattern.