Computer Use and Musculoskeletal Disorders

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DESCRIPTION: The NORA area to be addressed in this proposal is Work Disease and Injury Priority Research, specifically Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Upper Extremities. The overall goal of the proposal is to add to knowledge of the factors affecting survival time to upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders (UEMSDs) among computer users keying at least 15 hours per week. To achieve this goal, additional statistical analyses of existing data previously collected in a major prospective study of factors affecting the onset of UEMSDs among computer users are proposed. The specific aims are to: 1) Develop an index of postures and workspace dimensions among computer users and determine its ability to predict UEMSDs by (a) using the methods of factor analysis to identify and describe combinations of body postures and workstation dimensions potentially predictive of UEMSDs among computer users and (b) using the methods of survival analysis to quantify the associations (i.e., hazard ratios) between those combinations of posture variables and time to onset of UEMSDs among computer users; 2) examine the assumption of linear relationships between keying hours and UEMSDs by comparing the ability of linear models, threshold models and other statistical models to describe these associations; and 3) describe gender-specific postural and workspace risk factors for UEMSDs among computer users. Successful completion of the first aim will result in the quantification of the ways that separate postural measurements and/or office workspace dimensions work in combination to increase or decrease risk of UEMSDs. Successful completion of the second aim will advance knowledge of the nature of the association between hours keying and onset of UEMSDs. Successful completion of the third aim will advance knowledge of the causes of observed gender differences in the reporting of UEMSDs among computer users.