Workstation component adequacy and musculoskeletal symptoms in ecuadorian bank workers: a cross-sectional rosa-based analysis with trend and multiplicity correction

Abstract

To estimate the 12-month prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in administrative bank workers and to examine, under a small-sample, bias-aware analytical framework, the association between specific workstation components evaluated by the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) and MSD prevalence in Ibarra, Ecuador. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 85 administrative workers from a single bank, recruited by non-probabilistic convenience sampling (eight-hour shift, =12 months in the same workstation; January 2026 fieldwork). Ergonomic exposure was assessed with the ROSA method (continuous score 1–10 and ordered low/medium/high categories); symptomatology was assessed with the Standardised Nordic Questionnaire over a 12-month recall window. The analytical plan combined crude odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals, a Cochran–Armitage trend test on the ordered ROSA strata (replacing Pearson chi-square because of a zero-frequency cell), and Spearman correlations adjusted for multiplicity through Benjamini–Hochberg false-discovery-rate correction.