IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i6p3383-d770239.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Chronic Pain and Work Conditions of Hotel Housekeepers: A Descriptive Study

Author

Listed:
  • Cristian Sánchez-Rodríguez

    (Primary Care Research Unit of Mallorca, Public Health Service of the Balearic Islands (Ibsalut), 07003 Palma, Spain
    Research Group on Global Health and Human Development, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), 07122 Palma, Spain)

  • Oana Bulilete

    (Primary Care Research Unit of Mallorca, Public Health Service of the Balearic Islands (Ibsalut), 07003 Palma, Spain
    Research Group in Primary Care and Promotion—Balearic Islands Community (GRAPP-caIB), Network for Research on Chronicity, Primary Care, and Health Promotion (RICAPPS), 07003 Palma, Spain
    Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma, Spain)

  • Xenia Chela-Alvarez

    (Primary Care Research Unit of Mallorca, Public Health Service of the Balearic Islands (Ibsalut), 07003 Palma, Spain
    Research Group in Primary Care and Promotion—Balearic Islands Community (GRAPP-caIB), Network for Research on Chronicity, Primary Care, and Health Promotion (RICAPPS), 07003 Palma, Spain
    Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma, Spain)

  • Olga Velasco-Roldán

    (Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma, Spain
    Research Institute of Health Sciences (IUNICS), Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), 07122 Palma, Spain)

  • Joan Llobera-Canaves

    (Primary Care Research Unit of Mallorca, Public Health Service of the Balearic Islands (Ibsalut), 07003 Palma, Spain
    Research Group in Primary Care and Promotion—Balearic Islands Community (GRAPP-caIB), Network for Research on Chronicity, Primary Care, and Health Promotion (RICAPPS), 07003 Palma, Spain)

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain of hotel housekeepers (HHs) and to describe the work conditions and perception of health in this occupational group in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study with HHs of the Balearic Islands, performed in primary care. Random sample of HHs who worked during the 2018 season. We collected information on sociodemographic variables, job characteristics, workload, pain, perceived health, and physical activity. After participants signed the informed consent form, we conducted a face-to-face interview in the primary care centre and accessed the participants’ electronic health records. Results: 1043 HHs aged 43.3 ± 10 years and with 10.7 ± 9.1 years worked as HHs were included. 51% (95% CI: 48–54%) reported chronic pain, mainly in the lower back 28.7% (95% CI: 25.9–31.5%), hands/wrists 23.7% (95% CI: 21.1–26.4%), neck 21.6% (95% CI: 19.1–24.3%), shoulders 19.9% (95% CI: 17.4–22.4%), and back 17.8% (95% CI: 15.4–20.2%). Pain was associated with older age, more years worked, more beds made/day and difficulty in pushing the housekeeping cart. More than half HHs reported that they did not incorporate occupational risk prevention measures (ORPMs) into their routine; 17.3% (95% CI: 15.1–19.7%) HHs considered their health as poor or very poor. Perception of health was worse in HHs with chronic pain. Conclusions: A high percentage of HHs of the Balearic Islands reported chronic pain, a low compliance with ORPMs and compared to women of the same sociodemographic profile they perceive a worse health status.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristian Sánchez-Rodríguez & Oana Bulilete & Xenia Chela-Alvarez & Olga Velasco-Roldán & Joan Llobera-Canaves, 2022. "Chronic Pain and Work Conditions of Hotel Housekeepers: A Descriptive Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3383-:d:770239
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3383/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3383/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Scherzer, T. & Rugulies, R. & Krause, N., 2005. "Work-related pain and injury and barriers to workers' compensation among Las Vegas hotel room cleaners," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(3), pages 483-488.
    2. Xenia Chela-Alvarez & Oana Bulilete & M. Esther García-Buades & Victoria A. Ferrer-Perez & Joan Llobera-Canaves, 2020. "Perceived Factors of Stress and Its Outcomes among Hotel Housekeepers in the Balearic Islands: A Qualitative Approach from a Gender Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-21, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dr. Omar A Jawabreh, 2017. "Analyzing Factors Affect on Five Stars Occupational Safety in Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA)," Journal of Social Sciences (COES&RJ-JSS), , vol. 6(4), pages 802-815, October.
    2. Kapteyn, Arie & Smith, James P. & van Soest, Arthur, 2008. "Dynamics of work disability and pain," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 496-509, March.
    3. Marquita Walker, 2016. "Hospitality in Jeopardy," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(3), pages 21582440166, August.
    4. Xenia Chela-Alvarez & Oana Bulilete & M. Esther García-Buades & Victoria A. Ferrer-Perez & Joan Llobera-Canaves, 2020. "Perceived Factors of Stress and Its Outcomes among Hotel Housekeepers in the Balearic Islands: A Qualitative Approach from a Gender Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-21, December.
    5. Helena Lundberg & Jan Ch. Karlsson, 2011. "Under the clean surface," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 25(1), pages 141-148, March.
    6. José Miquel Cabeças, 2008. "Characterization of cleaners accidents in the Portuguese service sector," Enterprise and Work Innovation Studies, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, IET/CICS.NOVA-Interdisciplinary Centre on Social Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, vol. 4(4), pages 139-155, November.
    7. Pia Orrenius & Madeline Zavodny, 2009. "Do immigrants work in riskier jobs?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 46(3), pages 535-551, August.
    8. Gleeson, Shannon, 2012. "Leveraging health capital at the workplace: An examination of health reporting behavior among Latino immigrant restaurant workers in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2291-2298.
    9. W. Gary Allread & Pamela Vossenas, 2022. "Comparisons of Trunk Motions and Low Back Injury Risk between Alternative Hotel Room Cleaning Methods," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-15, November.
    10. Naomi Anderson & Jennifer Marcum & David Bonauto & Miriam Siegel & Claire LaSee, 2023. "The Relative Burden of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses in Firefighters: An Analysis of Washington Workers’ Compensation Claims, 2006–2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(22), pages 1-17, November.
    11. Xiuming Dong & Johanna Catherine Maclean & David Powell, 2024. "Social Insurance Spillovers: Evidence From Paid Sick Leave Mandates and Workers' Compensation," NBER Working Papers 32751, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3383-:d:770239. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.