Study of prevalence of self reported discomfort among motorcyclist

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of self reported discomfort and the rating of discomfort among male and female motorcyclist. A subjective assessment technique (questionnaire) was used. The developed questionnaire includes personal factors such as age, height, weight, riding experience (years) and riding hours in a week. The questionnaire also consists of a discomfort checklist in the form of body chart. Of 1000 motorcyclist assessed, 957 (male = 481, female = 476) were enrolled into the study. The statistical analysis (descriptive) on score rating of each discomfort symptoms was carried out from the checklist. The result indicates that majority (>50%) of the male and female motorcyclists experienced discomfort in their body parts during the riding process. The motorcyclist mainly experienced discomfort on their upper body parts (neck or head, shoulder, upper back, arms and hands, low back and buttocks). The female compared to the male motorcyclists have expressed higher discomfort level in their thighs. Meanwhile majority of both male and female motorcyclists have indicated no discomfort in their lower body part (knees, calf leg below knee and ankles and feet). The prevalence of discomfort in motorcyclists was 50% (male) and 55% (female). Therefore, the results suggest that the motorcyclist do suffer from the discomfort on certain body part during riding process.