Socio-demographic and occupational factors influencing expatriate construction workers’ musculoskeletal pain

Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is a major occupational health problem, and construction workers are particularly at high risk. Understanding the association of MSP with age, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, and job type among these populations can help in designing targeted preventive measures. To investigate the association between MSP and factors such as age, BMI, smoking, and job type among expatriate construction workers in Saudi Arabia. A structured English questionnaire was administered to 175 male expatriate construction workers aged 20-60 years, representing nine job categories. Data were collected on demographics, BMI, smoking status, job type, and MSP occurrence in the past 12 months. Chi-square tests examined the relationship between age, BMI, smoking, job, and MSP, while logistic regression assessed their predictive influence. The top three nationalities were Indian (40%), Bangladeshi (16.6%), and Jordanian (13.1%). MSP was reported by eighty-five (48.6%) participants. Chi-square analysis revealed no significant associations between age, BMI, smoking, job type, and MSP among the workers (95% CI; p > 0.05). Regression analysis confirmed that none of these factors significantly predicted MSP among the workers. Socio-demographic and occupational factors did not significantly influence musculoskeletal pain (MSP) among expatriate construction workers in Saudi Arabia, suggesting other unmeasured factors contribute to pain risk. Larger, longitudinal studies are needed to identify broader MSP determinants and guide targeted ergonomic interventions. The observational and modestly sized sample (N = 175) may have limited statistical power to detect moderate associations, potentially explaining the non-significant findings.