Table 3.
Sample size weighted average (standard deviation) of MSD prevalence by continent for each of the 11 body areas studied
| Neck | Upper back | Mid back | Lower back | Shoulder | Elbow | Wrist/ hand/ fingers | Thumb | Hip | Knee | Ankle/feet | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | Mean | 26.8% | 20.0% | - | 53.4% | 27.6% | 6.4% | 20.9% | - | 4.3% | 21.1% | 6.5% |
| SD | 15.9% | 11.5% | - | 29.0% | 15.5% | 0.7% | 10.1% | - | 1.8% | 4.6% | 2.6% | |
| America | Mean | 23.4% | 15.1% | - | 33.0% | 20.0% | 3.0% | 16.0% | 83.3% | 3.1% | 4.4% | 3.4% |
| SD | 28.8% | 14.4% | - | 25.4% | 26.9% | 6.4% | 15.0% | - | 11.1% | 17.1% | 11.8% | |
| Asia | Mean | 22.6% | 9.5% | 20.8% | 36.7% | 16.2% | 9.0% | 16.9% | 24.7% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 4.7% |
| SD | 9.9% | 6.5% | 10.9% | 10.7% | 13.6% | 6.7% | 10.0% | 19.1% | 3.7% | 4.9% | 5.0% | |
| Europe | Mean | 27.5% | 20.8% | - | 41.0% | 18.1% | 7.8% | 15.8% | 17.8% | 8.3% | 11.4% | 6.7% |
| SD | 17.4% | 20.1% | - | 19.1% | 14.8% | 14.3% | 12.3% | - | 13.8% | 14.0% | 12.6% | |
| Oceania | Mean | 39.6% | 41.0% | 11.0% | 50.8% | 19.2% | 10.2% | 19.5% | 33.6% | 6.1% | 8.8% | 5.6% |
| SD | 19.5% | - | - | 28.6% | 9.1% | 7.2% | 5.5% | - | 3.0% | 5.8% | 3.6% | |
| Overall | 26.4% | 17.7% | 14.9% | 40.1% | 20.8% | 7.0% | 18.1% | 35.4% | 7.0% | 13.0% | 5.5% | |
| p (Kruskal–Wallis) | p = 0.93 | p = 0.54 | p = 1.0 | p = 0.51 | p = 0.83 | p = 0.73 | p = 0.84 | p = 1.0 | p = 0.31 | p = 0.15 | p = 0.36 | |