Objective  To explore the prevalence and work-related factors of neck/shoulder pain (NSP) and upper back pain among female employees in public institutions in Beijing.

  Methods  The data on 4 654 female staff in public institutions were extracted from "Terminal Evaluation on Healthy Beijing People: A Ten-Year Health Promotion Action" conducted during June – August 2018. Information on NSP/upper back pain and work-related factors in the female staff were collected and analyzed.

  Results  Of all the female employees, 67.0% reported NSP/upper back pain. The results of non-ordinal multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that for the female employees, having overtime work was a risk factor of various degrees of NSP/upper back pain; at middle age, with higher education, having annual income of 50 000 – 100 000 yuan RMB, engaged in heavy physical labor were significant risk factors for moderate or severe NSP/upper back pain (all P < 0.05); while, dissemination of health promotion materials in workplaces was a protective factor against moderate and severe NSP/upper back pain, with the odds ratios of 0.675 (95% confidence interval 95% CI: 0.522 – 0.873) and 0.434 (95% CI: 0.311 – 0.606).

  Conclusion  Neck/shoulder pain and upper back pain are prevalent among female employees in public institutions in Beijing and relevant interventions on the illness should be promoted to improve health condition of the occupational population.