Prevention and Intervention of Neck Pain in Swiss Office-Workers
Condition: Neck Pain; Headache; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Adherence, Patient; Absenteeism; Workplace; Health Promotion; Ergonomics; Efficiency; Presenteeism; Occupational Health; Surveys and Questionnaires; Adult; Exercise Therapy; Work Performance
MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Diseases; Headache; Neck Pain
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study is the first that investigates the impact of a multi-component intervention
      combining current evidence of effective interventions with an adherence app to assess the
      potential benefits on productivity, neck pain, and headache.
    

Detailed description: 
      Non-specific neck pain and headache are major economic and individual burdens in
      office-workers. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a multi-component
      intervention combining workstation ergonomics, health promotion information group workshops,
      neck exercises, and an app to enhance intervention adherence to assess possible reductions in
      the economic and individual burden of neck pain and headache in office workers.

      This study is a stepped wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial. Eligible participants will
      be any office-worker aged 18-65 years from two Swiss organisations in the Canton of Zurich
      and Canton of Aargau, working more than 25 hours a week in predominantly sedentary office
      work and without serious health conditions of the neck. 120 voluntary participants will be
      assigned to 15 clusters which, at randomly selected time steps, switch from the control to
      the intervention group. The intervention will last 12 weeks and comprises workstation
      ergonomics, health promotion information group workshops, neck exercises and an adherence
      app. The primary outcome will be health-related productivity losses (presenteeism,
      absenteeism) using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire. Secondary
      outcomes will include neck disability and pain. Physical and health outcomes (e.g. Neck
      Disability Index, muscle strength, and endurance), psychosocial outcomes (e.g. job-stress
      index, Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire), workplace outcomes (e.g. workstation
      ergonomics), and individual outcomes (e.g. socio-demographic data, adherence to intervention)
      will be assessed. Measurements will take place at baseline, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 16
      months, and 28 months after commencement. Data will be analysed on an 'intention to treat'
      basis and per protocol. Primary and secondary outcomes will be examined using linear
      mixed-effects models.

      This study is the first that investigates the impact of a multi-component intervention
      combining current evidence of effective interventions with an adherence app to assess the
      potential benefits on productivity, neck pain, and headache. The outcomes will impact the
      individual, their workplace, as well as private and public policy by offering evidence for
      treatment and prevention of neck pain and headache in office-workers.
    

Intervention name(s): Multi-component intervention; Control
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Participants' workstation ergonomics will be assessed using an observation-based ergonomics assessment checklist for office-workers adapted to Swiss guidelines. Based on the initial assessment, best practice ergonomics will be applied individually using existing infrastructure. Participants will attend health promotion information group workshops for approximately one hour per week for 12 weeks. it. Participants will receive an individual progressive exercise programme aimed at conditioning the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle. The exercises will be performed in groups (maximum of ten per group) at the workplace in a dedicated room, for approximately one hour (3x20 minutes) per week; once per week supervised by a physiotherapist, a human movement scientist, or a health scientist, and twice per week individually. Workshop session attendance will be recorded as an indication of adherence to health promotion. Adherence to neck exercises will be recorded with the Physitrack® app.; No intervention takes place during the control phase.
Other intervention name(s): Workstation Ergonomics, Health promotion, Neck exercise, Adherence to intervention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Intervention model description: This study is a stepped wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial.
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: office-worker; neck-specific exercises; stepped wedge design; productivity