Changes in postural risk and general health associated with a participatory ergonomics education program used by heavy video display terminal users: a pilot study.
To determine if a brief, participatory ergonomics education program was associated with changes in work posture and general health of heavy video display terminal (VDT) users, 23 full-time VDT users participated in an on-site, small-group, 60-minute ergonomics education session and 1 week later an i...
| Published in: | Journal of Hand Therapy Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 29 - 36 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Elsevier B.V.
2003 Jan-Mar
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=106835066&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 106835066 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 08941130 4C0 jtl: Journal of Hand Therapy issn: 08941130 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: 2003 Jan-Mar vid: 16 iid: 1 pid: 82545 pub: Elsevier B.V. place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania artinfo: ui: 106835066 106835066 2003068704 NLM12611443 106835066 ppf: 29 ppct: 7 formats: tig: atl: Changes in postural risk and general health associated with a participatory ergonomics education program used by heavy video display terminal users: a pilot study. aug: au: Street SL Kramer JF Harburn KL Hansen R MacDermid JC affil: School of Occupational Therapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3J5; sistreet@istar.ca sug: subj: Ergonomics Staff Development Computer Terminals Utilization Occupational-Related Injuries Prevention and Control Posture Funding Source Pilot Studies Videorecording Questionnaires Female Male Adult Middle Age Occupational-Related Injuries Risk Factors Pretest-Posttest Design Paired T-Tests Descriptive Statistics Human Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Female Male ab: To determine if a brief, participatory ergonomics education program was associated with changes in work posture and general health of heavy video display terminal (VDT) users, 23 full-time VDT users participated in an on-site, small-group, 60-minute ergonomics education session and 1 week later an individual 15-minute follow-up session at their workstation. Posture was assessed by a blinded tester who scored videotape records to complete the Postural and Repetitiveness Risk Factors Index (PRRI), and general health status was assessed via self-administered Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire before the intervention and again 5 weeks later. Five weeks after the 60-minute session, PRRI scores were 19% lower than were preintervention scores (p < 0.01), indicating lower postural risk. SF-36 physical (2% higher) and mental (4% higher) component scores were not statistically different, however, before and after intervention (p > 0.05). Although the participatory ergonomics education program was associated with improved work posture (PRRI scores) after 5 weeks, general physical and mental health (SF-36 scores) did not change within this time period. These results suggest that a participatory ergonomics program, which is of short duration and minimally disruptive to the normal workplace routine, may have a rapid effect on improving work posture. Although awkward posture is thought to be a risk factor for work-related musculoskeletal disorders, multigroup and long-term randomized trials are required to establish the effectiveness of participatory ergonomics programs in reducing the incidence and severity of musculoskeletal disorders associated with heavy VDT use. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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