Questionnaire versus direct technical measurements in assessing postures and movements of the head, upper back, arms and hands
(2001) In Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health 27(1). p.30-40- Abstract
- OBJECTIVES: This study compares questionnaire-assessed exposure data on work postures and movements with direct technical measurements. METHODS: Inclinometers and goniometers were used to make full workday measurements of 41 office workers and 41 cleaners, stratified for such factors as musculoskeletal complaints. The subjects answered a questionnaire on work postures of the head, back, and upper arms and repeated movements of the arms and hands (3-point scales). The questionnaire had been developed on the basis of a previously validated one. For assessing worktasks and their durations, the subjects kept a 2-week worktask diary. Job exposure was individually calculated by time-weighting the task exposure measurements according to the... (More)
- OBJECTIVES: This study compares questionnaire-assessed exposure data on work postures and movements with direct technical measurements. METHODS: Inclinometers and goniometers were used to make full workday measurements of 41 office workers and 41 cleaners, stratified for such factors as musculoskeletal complaints. The subjects answered a questionnaire on work postures of the head, back, and upper arms and repeated movements of the arms and hands (3-point scales). The questionnaire had been developed on the basis of a previously validated one. For assessing worktasks and their durations, the subjects kept a 2-week worktask diary. Job exposure was individually calculated by time-weighting the task exposure measurements according to the diary. RESULTS: The agreement between the self-assessed and measured postures and movements was low (kappa = 0.06 for the mean within the occupational groups and kappa = 0.27 for the whole group). Cleaners had a higher measured workload than office workers giving the same questionnaire response. Moreover, the subjects with neck-shoulder complaints rated their exposure to movements as higher than those without complaints but with the same measured mechanical exposure. In addition, these subjects also showed a general tendency to rate their postural exposure as higher. The women rated their exposure higher than the men did. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire-assessed exposure data had low validity. For the various response categories the measured exposure depended on occupation. Furthermore, there was a differential misclassification due to musculoskeletal complaints and gender. Thus it seems difficult to construct valid questionnaires on mechanical exposure for establishing generic exposure-response relations in epidemiologic studies, especially cross-sectional ones. Direct technical measurements may be preferable. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1123188
- author
- Hansson, Gert-Åke LU ; Balogh, Istvan LU ; Bystrom, J U ; Ohlsson, Kerstina LU ; Nordander, Catarina LU ; Asterland, P ; Sjolander, S ; Rylander, Lars LU ; Winkel, J and Skerfving, Staffan LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2001
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health
- volume
- 27
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 30 - 40
- publisher
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:11266144
- scopus:0035102659
- ISSN
- 0355-3140
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 2c8a871c-fd20-47bf-a803-3cc013ff3877 (old id 1123188)
- alternative location
- http://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=584
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 12:04:20
- date last changed
- 2022-04-21 02:03:48
@article{2c8a871c-fd20-47bf-a803-3cc013ff3877, abstract = {{OBJECTIVES: This study compares questionnaire-assessed exposure data on work postures and movements with direct technical measurements. METHODS: Inclinometers and goniometers were used to make full workday measurements of 41 office workers and 41 cleaners, stratified for such factors as musculoskeletal complaints. The subjects answered a questionnaire on work postures of the head, back, and upper arms and repeated movements of the arms and hands (3-point scales). The questionnaire had been developed on the basis of a previously validated one. For assessing worktasks and their durations, the subjects kept a 2-week worktask diary. Job exposure was individually calculated by time-weighting the task exposure measurements according to the diary. RESULTS: The agreement between the self-assessed and measured postures and movements was low (kappa = 0.06 for the mean within the occupational groups and kappa = 0.27 for the whole group). Cleaners had a higher measured workload than office workers giving the same questionnaire response. Moreover, the subjects with neck-shoulder complaints rated their exposure to movements as higher than those without complaints but with the same measured mechanical exposure. In addition, these subjects also showed a general tendency to rate their postural exposure as higher. The women rated their exposure higher than the men did. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire-assessed exposure data had low validity. For the various response categories the measured exposure depended on occupation. Furthermore, there was a differential misclassification due to musculoskeletal complaints and gender. Thus it seems difficult to construct valid questionnaires on mechanical exposure for establishing generic exposure-response relations in epidemiologic studies, especially cross-sectional ones. Direct technical measurements may be preferable.}}, author = {{Hansson, Gert-Åke and Balogh, Istvan and Bystrom, J U and Ohlsson, Kerstina and Nordander, Catarina and Asterland, P and Sjolander, S and Rylander, Lars and Winkel, J and Skerfving, Staffan}}, issn = {{0355-3140}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{1}}, pages = {{30--40}}, publisher = {{Finnish Institute of Occupational Health}}, series = {{Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health}}, title = {{Questionnaire versus direct technical measurements in assessing postures and movements of the head, upper back, arms and hands}}, url = {{http://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=584}}, volume = {{27}}, year = {{2001}}, }