Title
Prospective research on musculoskeletal disorders in office workers (PROMO): Study protocol
Author
TNO Kwaliteit van Leven
IJmker, S.
Blatter, B.M.
van der Beek, A.J.
van Mechelen, W.
Bongers, P.M.
Publication year
2006
Abstract
Background: This article describes the background and study design of the PROMO study (Prospective Research on Musculoskeletal disorders in Office workers). Few longitudinal studies have been performed to investigate the risk factors responsible for the incidence of hand, arm, shoulder and neck symptoms among office workers, given the observation that a large group of office workers might be at risk worldwide. Therefore, the PROMO study was designed. The main aim is to quantify the contribution of exposure to occupational computer use to the incidence of hand, arm, shoulder and neck symptoms. The results of this study might lead to more effective and/or cost-efficient preventive interventions among office workers. Methods/Design: A prospective cohort study is conducted, with a follow-up of 24 months. In total, 1821 participants filled out the first questionnaire (response rate of 74%). Data on exposure and outcome is collected using web-based self-reports. Outcome assessment takes place every three months during the follow-up period. Data on computer use are collected at baseline and continuously during follow-up using a software program. Discussion: The advantages of the PROMO study include the long follow-up period, the repeated measurement of both exposure and outcome, and the objective measurement of the duration of computer use. In the PROMO study, hypotheses stemming from lab-based and field-based research will be investigated. © 2006 IJmker et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Subject
Computer
Computer program
Controlled study
Data analysis
Human
Incidence
Medical research
Musculoskeletal disease
Occupational disease
Occupational exposure
Occupational hazard
Office worker
Outcome assessment
Risk assessment
Risk factor
Symptomatology
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d0d4795a-8bb8-4299-be1c-7484771f9cd3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-7-55
TNO identifier
239360
ISSN
1471-2474
Source
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 7 (7), 1-9
Document type
article