Respiratory and Physical Outcomes in Different Types of Office Workers

May 16, 2025 updated by: Gulsah Bargi, Izmir Democracy University

Investigation of Respiratory System, Musculoskeletal System, Physical Activity Level and Quality of Life in Different Types of Office Workers.

There are no studies in the literature reporting the posture, chest mobility, dyspnea, flexibility, quality of life and physical activity levels of emergency call center employees. The aims of this observational study are; 1) to evaluate posture, chest mobility, strength, dyspnea, flexibility, musculoskeletal disorders, physical activity and quality of life in emergency call center workers and office workers, 2) to reveal the relationships between these parameters of both research groups and 3) The aim is to compare these measurement parameters in emergency call center workers and office workers.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Over time, there has been an increase in the number of office workers and the use of computers. Working in a static position for long working hours and improper working postures can lead to loss of flexibility in the muscles, decrease in thoracic mobility, pain in the musculoskeletal system and deterioration of ideal posture. Emergency call center employees work long hours, in shifts that require serious attention, where stress is intense and the circadian rhythm is disrupted. There is no study in the literature that evaluates the posture, chest mobility, dyspnea, flexibility and physical activity levels of emergency call center employees. Therefore, the aim of our study is; It is a comparative evaluation of posture, chest mobility, cough strength, dyspnea flexibility, musculoskeletal disorders, physical activity level and quality of life in emergency call center operators and desk workers.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
52

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey
      • İzmir, Turkey, 35140
        • Izmir Democracy University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

At least 27 individuals will be included in the emergency call center workers group and at least 25 individuals will be included in the office workers group.

Description

Inclusion Criteria for Emergency Call Center Workers

  • Being an operator at Izmir 112 Emergency Call Center
  • Being 18 years or older
  • Volunteering to participate in the study
  • Being able to understand and answer surveys

Inclusion Criteria for Office Workers

  • Being actively working at a desk
  • Being 18 years or older
  • Volunteering to participate in the study
  • Being able to understand and answer surveys

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have any history of acute/chronic infection, physical or mental disability/disease and/or cognitive impairment that would prevent measurement.
  • Being pregnant
  • Being able to exercise regularly

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Emergency call center workers
This group will consist of individuals working as operators at Izmir 112 Emergency Call Center.
Other: Physical Evaluations of individuals
Participants will be evaluated on posture, chest mobility, cough strength, flexibility, hand grip strength and pinch strength. They will be asked to answer the Modified Medical Research Council Scale, Cornell Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and Short Form -36. The data to be obtained from all these evaluations are planned to be collected face to face from the participants at once and within a maximum of 1 hour.
Office workers
This group will consist of office workers who work actively at a desk.
Other: Physical Evaluations of individuals
Participants will be evaluated on posture, chest mobility, cough strength, flexibility, hand grip strength and pinch strength. They will be asked to answer the Modified Medical Research Council Scale, Cornell Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and Short Form -36. The data to be obtained from all these evaluations are planned to be collected face to face from the participants at once and within a maximum of 1 hour.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Handgrip strength
Time Frame: up to 5 minutes
Hand grip strength will be measured using the Jamar hand dynamometer.
up to 5 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Thoracic mobility
Time Frame: up to 5 minutes
Individuals will be asked to sit in an upright sitting position with their arms slightly open, and their chest circumference will be measured with a tape measure at three different levels (axillary, epigastric, subcostal) at rest, deep breathing (maximum inspiration) and deep exhalation (maximum expiration). The difference between measurements will be recorded in centimeters.
up to 5 minutes
Cough strength
Time Frame: up to 2-3 minutes
Cough strength will be evaluated using a PEFmeter.
up to 2-3 minutes
Dyspnea
Time Frame: up to 1 minute
Dyspnea will be assessed using the Modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) Scale. This scale is a five-item scale based on various physical activities that cause a feeling of shortness of breath (dyspnea). As the score an individual gets from the scale increases, the perception of shortness of breath also increases.
up to 1 minute
Posture
Time Frame: up to 5 minutes
Posture will be evaluated with sensorless posture analysis software based on the artificial intelligence concept created by Fizyosoft and Becure.
up to 5 minutes
Musculoskeletal pain
Time Frame: up to 5 minutes
Musculoskeletal pain will be assessed using the Turkish version of the Cornell Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire. The score is obtained by multiplying the weighted scores corresponding to the individual's answer. The scores obtained for each region range between 0 and 90, and higher scores indicate higher levels of pain disorder.
up to 5 minutes
Flexibility
Time Frame: up to 5 minutes
Flexibility will be evaluated with sit-reach test, pectoral shortness tests, and shoulder adductor and internal rotator shortness tests.
up to 5 minutes
Pinch strength
Time Frame: up to 5 minutes
Pinch strength will be evaluated using a hydraulic pinch dynamometer.
up to 5 minutes
Physical activity level
Time Frame: up to 2 minutes
Physical activity level will be assessed using the Turkish version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form."MET-min/week" scores were obtained by multiplying the minutes, days, and MET (which is set by convention at 3.5 milliliter of oxygen per kilogram per minute) values of each activity. According to these scores, individuals were classified as inactive, minimally active, and sufficiently active.
up to 2 minutes
Health-related quality of life
Time Frame: up to 5 minutes
Quality of life will be assessed using the SF-36. It consists of eight subscales including physical function, role limitations due to physical health and emotional problems, vitality, emotional well-being, social function, bodily pain, and general health. Each subscale is scored between 0 (poorer health) and 100 (better health).
up to 5 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Izmir Democracy University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: GÜLŞAH BARĞI, Assoc.Dr., Izmir Democracy University
  • Principal Investigator: BERFİN KİŞİN, MSc, Izmir Emergency Call Center
  • Principal Investigator: ÖZLEM ÇİNAR ÖZDEMİR, Assoc.Dr., Izmir Democracy University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 28, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 29, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 10, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 22, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 18, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 16, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Different Office Workers

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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