| - Project summary: In a longitudinal study with 2-year follow-up the influence of physical load and psychosocial aspects at work on the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders is investigated among nursing home personnel. Much emphasis is given to the development of quantitative assessment strategies that adequately describe magnitude, frequency, and duration of these risk factors in highly dynamic work environments. Within this prospective study the natural course of back disorders is also evaluated, such as incident and recurrent spells of back pain, acute and chronic back pain, sickness absence, and back-related disability. - Progress: About 1000 workers in home care, including nurses, office workers, cleaners, maintenance workers, cooks, and laundry workers have been included in the baseline survey. A questionnaire on personal characteristics, physical and psychosocial risk factors, general health, musculoskeletal complaints of back, neck, shoulder, and knee, and musculoskeletal sickness absence was used. Workplace assessments by observation have been performed among over 300 workers (3-4 periods of 30 min) and an additional 100 workers were measured for trunk movements with inclinometers for 6-8 hours. The 2-year follow-up has been completed and publications are currently being written. |
