Musculoskeletal disorders/pain in undergraduate nursing students in a community university in southern Brazil.

Goal: To describe the academic profile and assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders/pain in undergraduate nursing students in a Community University in Southern Brazil. Method: It has been a descriptive quantitative study with a survey approach, and has been conducted with 149 nursing students, through the employment of an instrument with questions regarding sociodemographic variables, life, and health habits, as for Standardized Nordic Questionnaire. Results: Most participants were female, age ranging from 18 to 25, unmarried, living with the family, with no children, not receiving government support or family aid, and working for hospitals. The prevalence of musculoskeletal was in the dorsal and lumbar region and shoulders. Conclusions: The prevalence of such symptoms amongst the students leads to the need of implementing preventive and health promotion actions, in order to contribute for the improvement of life quality in both the academic scope and in the future as professionals. Descriptors: Nursing; Cumulative Trauma Disorder, Musculoskeletal Pain; Nursing Students; Worker's Health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]