Evaluate the Working Environments of Individuals Working From Home During Covid-19 Outbreak

The study aims to evaluate the working environments of individuals working from home during the covid-19 outbreak and the effect of the working environments on their musculoskeletal system.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Musculoskeletal Pain

Detailed Description

The study will include people between the ages of 18-65 who work from home (works in the office before isolation) as a part of the Covid-19 isolation measure. The working environment of the individuals participating in the study will be evaluated with The Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA). Musculoskeletal symptoms will be analyzed by using the Standardised Nordic Questionnaires (NMQ). Pain will be analyzed by using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) .

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 259

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Istanbul, Turkey
    • Istanbul University Cerrahpasa

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The study will include people between the ages of 18-65 who works from home (works in the office before isolation) as a part of Covid-19 isolation measure

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• between the ages of 18-65
• works from home
• works in the office before isolation

Exclusion Criteria:

• have any systemic disease that may affect on musculoskeletal system such as fibromyalgia, myofacial pain syndrome, etc.
• have any vision problem
• have difficulty of understanding and following online survey
• have any physical disability
• have self-reported computer use for less than four hours on a typical workday

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Only
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA)	The working environment of the individuals participating in the study will be evaluated with The Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA). ROSA is a picture-based posture checklist designed to quantify exposure to risk factors in an office work environment. In ROSA, three subsections (A-chair height, depth, armrest, and backrest; B-monitor and telephone; C-mouse and keyboard) of the office work environment are assessed. After completing the ROSA checklist, the related tables are used to calculate the score from each part, and eventually, the final ROSA score is derived. If the final score is ≤4; the risk of musculoskeletal disorders is low (low risky). If the final score is ≥5 the risk of musculoskeletal disorders risk is high (high risky).	30 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The Standardised Nordic Questionnaries (NMQ)	The NMQ includes 27 items exploring the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms for the last 12 months covering nine different parts of the body. It also has items about severity grades, determined according to functional status and the presence of musculoskeletal symptoms during the 7 days. Symptoms indicate musculoskeletal disorders in different body regions among the working population. The NMQ section that questions the last 7 days will be used in the study. In that section consists additional questions relating to the neck, the shoulders, and the lower back further detail relevant issues. Twenty-five forced-choice questions elicit any accidents affecting each area, functional impact at home and work (change of job or duties), duration of the problem, assessment by a health professional, and musculoskeletal problems in the last 7 days.	15 minutes

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual Analog Scale (VAS)	Pain will be analyzed by using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). VAS is a scale assessing pain intensity and composed of a horizontal or vertical line and anchored at both ends by words indicative of extremes of magnitude, such as "no pain" to "most intense pain sensation imaginable". In the current study, at the last 1 year and last 7 days, pain intensity was assessed by using horizontal lined VAS. Higher values show higher pain.	2 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa
• Investigators: Study Director: Ayşe Zengin Alpözgen, PhD, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Barbieri DF, Srinivasan D, Mathiassen SE, Oliveira AB. Variation in upper extremity, neck and trunk postures when performing computer work at a sit-stand station. Appl Ergon. 2019 Feb;75:120-128. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2018.09.012. Epub 2018 Oct 3.
• Brewer S, Van Eerd D, Amick BC 3rd, Irvin E, Daum KM, Gerr F, Moore JS, Cullen K, Rempel D. Workplace interventions to prevent musculoskeletal and visual symptoms and disorders among computer users: a systematic review. J Occup Rehabil. 2006 Sep;16(3):325-58. doi: 10.1007/s10926-006-9031-6.
• Sonne M, Villalta DL, Andrews DM. Development and evaluation of an office ergonomic risk checklist: ROSA--rapid office strain assessment. Appl Ergon. 2012 Jan;43(1):98-108. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2011.03.008. Epub 2011 May 6.
• Kuorinka I, Jonsson B, Kilbom A, Vinterberg H, Biering-Sorensen F, Andersson G, Jorgensen K. Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Appl Ergon. 1987 Sep;18(3):233-7. doi: 10.1016/0003-6870(87)90010-x.
• Clark P, Lavielle P, Martinez H. Learning from pain scales: patient perspective. J Rheumatol. 2003 Jul;30(7):1584-8.
• Kahraman T, Genc A, Goz E. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire: cross-cultural adaptation into Turkish assessing its psychometric properties. Disabil Rehabil. 2016 Oct;38(21):2153-60. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2015.1114034. Epub 2016 Jan 4.

Helpful Links

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Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 29, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 7, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 9, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): April 10, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 4, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 16, 2022
• Last Verified: February 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Musculoskeletal Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: GPA1347

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No