Documents Douwes, Marjolein 3 results

"STUDY DESIGN:
A 3-year prospective cohort study among workers of 34 companies in the Netherlands.
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the relation between flexion and rotation of the trunk and lifting at work and the occurrence of low back pain.
SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA:
Previous studies on work-related physical risk factors for low back pain either lacked quantification of the physical load or did not take confounding by individual and psychosocial factors into account.
METHODS:
The study population consisted of 861 workers with no low back pain at baseline and complete data on the occurrence of low back pain during the 3-year follow-up period. Physical load at work was assessed by means of analyses of video-recordings. Information on other risk factors and the occurrence of low back pain was obtained by means of self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: An increased risk of low back pain was observed for workers who worked with the trunk in a minimum of 60 degrees of flexion for more than 5% of the working time (RR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.1), for workers who worked with the trunk in a minimum of 30 degrees of rotation for more than 10% of the working time (RR 1.3, 95% CI 0.9-1. 9), and for workers who lifted a load of at least 25 kg more than 15 times per working day (RR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.3).
CONCLUSIONS:
Flexion and rotation of the trunk and lifting at work are moderate risk factors for low back pain, especially at greater levels of exposure."

"OBJECTIVE
To study the relation between neck pain and work related neck flexion, neck rotation, and sitting.
METHODS
A prospective cohort study was performed with a follow up of 3 years among 1334 workers from 34 companies. Work related physical load was assessed by analysing objectively measured exposure data (video recordings) of neck flexion, neck rotation, and sitting posture. Neck pain was assessed by a questionnaire. Adjustments were made for various physical factors that were related or not related to work, psychosocial factors, and individual characteristics.
RESULTS
A significant positive relation was found between the percentage of the working time in a sitting position and neck pain, implying an increased risk of neck pain for workers who were sitting for more than 95% of the working time (crude relative risk (RR) 2.01, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.04 to 3.88; adjusted RR 2.34, 95% CI 1.05 to 5.21). A trend for a positive relation between neck flexion and neck pain was found, suggesting an increased risk of neck pain for people working with the neck at a minimum of 20° of flexion for more than 70% of the working time (crude RR 2.01, 95% CI 0.98 to 4.11; adjusted RR 1.63, 95% CI 0.70 to 3.82). No clear relation was found between neck rotation and neck pain.
CONCLUSION
Sitting at work for more than 95% of the working time seems to be a risk factor for neck pain and there is a trend for a positive relation between neck flexion and neck pain. No clear relation was found between neck rotation and neck pain."

"A long duration of computer use is known to be positively associated with Work Related Upper Extremity Disorders (WRUED). Self-report by questionnaire is commonly used to assess a worker's duration of computer use. The aim of the present study was to assess the validity of self-report and computer use software (WorkPace®) to assess the duration of computer use in a heterogeneous office population and for different job types. Ninety-nine bank employees with various job titles participated in the study. The duration of computer use was assessed simultaneously by self-report (questionnaire), WorkPace® and direct observation. Observation was regarded as the golden standard. On average, self-reports overestimated the observed duration of computer use with 39%. This overestimation was reduced to 9% when using WorkPace®. Viewing times (time viewing the screen without touching mouse or keyboard) differed between computer jobs. It was concluded that computer use statistics yield rather accurate estimations of duration of computer use, whereas self-reports do not. These estimations can be further improved by using specific viewing time estimations for different computer jobs."