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Objective: To identify risk factors for the development of interfering neck pain in office workers including an examination of the interaction effects between potential risk factors.Background: The 1-year incidence of neck pain in office workers is reported as the highest of all occupations. Identifying risk factors for the development of neck pain in office workers is therefore a priority to direct prevention strategies.Methods: Participants included 214 office workers without neck pain from two cultures. A battery of measures evaluating potential individual and workplace risk factors were administered at baseline, and the incidence of interfering neck pain assessed monthly for 12 months. Survival analysis was used to identify relationships between risk factors and the development of interfering neck pain.Results: One-year incidence was 1.93 (95% CI [1.41, 2.64]) per 100 person months. Factors increasing the risk of developing interfering neck pain were older age, female gender, increased sitting hours, higher job strain, and stress. A neutral thorax sitting posture, greater cervical range of motion and muscle endurance, and higher physical activity were associated with a decreased risk of neck pain. The effects of some risk factors on the development of neck pain were moderated by the workers' coping resources.Conclusion: Multiple risk factors and interactions may explain the development of neck pain in office workers. Therefore, plans for preventing the development of interfering neck pain in office workers should consider multiple individual and work-related factors with some factors being potentially more modifiable than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, the reliability of measures of upper body postural behavior (head, thorax, neck, and arm) during sustained office work was evaluated.Background: Although there has been a substantial body of research examining the technical aspects of posture measurement in office workers using motion sensors, there is a paucity of literature examining whether posture-related behaviors are actually consistent among office workers in the field on different days and times.Method: Thirty one office workers performed their usual work for three, 1-hr sessions (two morning sessions and one afternoon session) while wearing wireless motion sensors. Reliability coefficients of the derived measures of postural behavior were calculated.Results: Most (30/31) of the postural behavior measures demonstrated modest to excellent reliability (ICC 2.1: 0.48-0.84). Reliability appeared to be mildly affected by factors such as the time of day recordings were taken and variations in desk setups.Conclusion: The findings suggest these measures may be a reliable method for evaluating postural behavior in the office work environment in future studies.Application: Postural measurement using a technical motion sensor described an acceptable reliability to be used for risk assessment in the workplace. Consideration of assessment time and desk setting would increase the accuracy of postural measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Identifying risk factors associated with the development of work-related neck pain in office workers is necessary to facilitate the development of prevention strategies that aim to minimise this prevalent and costly health problem. The aim of this systematic review is to identify individual worker (e.g., lifestyle activity, muscular strength, and posture) and workplace (e.g., ergonomics and work environment) physical factors associated with the development of non-specific neck pain in office workers. Methods: Studies from 1980 to 2016 were identified by an electronic search of Pubmed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Psychlnfo and Proquest databases. Two authors independently screened search results, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias using the epidemiological appraisal instrument (EAI). A random effect model was used to estimate the risk of physical factors for neck pain. Results: Twenty papers described the findings of ten prospective cohort studies and two randomized controlled trials. Low satisfaction with the workplace environment (pooled RR 1.28; CI 1.07-1.55), keyboard position close to the body [pooled RR 1.46; (CI 1.07-1.99)], low work task variation [RR 1.27; CI (1.08-1.50)] and self-perceived medium/high muscular tension (pooled RR 2.75/1.82; CI 1.60 /1.14-4.72/2.90) were found to be risk factors for the development of neck pain. Conclusions: This review found evidence for a few number of physical risk factors for the development of neck pain, however, there was also either limited or conflicting factors. Recommendations for future studies evaluating risk factors are reported and how these may contribute to the prevention of neck pain in office workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]