Clinical trial NCT05811767: The Esbjerg Cohort - A Cross-sectional Study About Work Ability and Musculoskeletal Pain in 55 to 70 Years Old Workers
Official title: Ergonomic Exposure in Relation to Physical Capacity and Its Effect on Work Ability and Musculoskeletal Pain in the Oldest Group of Workers - The Esbjerg Cohort
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Work Ability
Occupational Health
Physical Capacity
Occupational Exposure
Keywords: Work ability
Senior workers
Physical capacity
Musculoskeletal pain
Lead sponsor: Esbjerg Hospital - University Hospital of Southern Denmark
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2023-04-13
Enrollment: 331
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 55
Maximum age (years): 70
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Citizens between 55 and 70 years old living in the Esbjerg municipality.

Brief summary: The overall aim of this study is to investigate how work with physical demands affects the physical capacity, work ability, labor market affiliation, pain and self-reported health in the oldest group of workers.

Following research questions are to be answered:

1. How high physical work demands affects muscle strength in 55-70-year-old workers and how obesity in combination with high physical work exposure influences muscle strength, work ability, cardiac function, and self-reported health?
2. Which parameters are important for work ability and how does the exposure of high physical workload affect the work ability over time in 55-70-year-old workers?
3. By exploring the underlying mechanism of pain among 55+ year old workers, how is pain associated with work ability, BMI and physical capacity?

Detailed description: This study is a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in the municipality Esbjerg, Denmark. This study wants to investigate how ergonomic exposure in relation to physical capacity has an effect on work ability and musculoskeletal pain in workers between 55 and 70 years old. This Ph.D. is a clinical study including physical tests, questionnaires, and long-term evaluation of work ability. The study population consists of 336 citizens divided into 12 groups stratified for gender, age (\< 60 years, 60-64 years and above 64 years) and occupational group (white-collar or blue-collar worker).

The study population will be recruited to uncover the physical workload among citizens 55+ years and compare the physical work demands to their health status, pain and physical capacity. The intention is to provide knowledge of the consequences of high physical workload on the musculoskeletal system in the oldest group of workers. This knowledge is necessary for better treatment and counseling to the oldest group of workers and for improved guidelines on how to optimize the balance between the physical work demands and the capacity of the workers.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men and women born between 1952 and 1966
* Living in the Esbjerg municipality
* Able to write, read and understand Danish

Exclusion Criteria:

* Injuries to arms or legs (e.g arm in plaster, acute trauma on ACL)
* Just had a surgery (e.g an operation in the abdominal region or in the brain)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Work Ability
timeFrame: Baseline
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Height
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Weight
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Body Mass Index (BMI)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Waist-to-hip ratio
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Blood pressure
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Pressure Pain Threshold
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Warm and cold detection threshold
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Heat and cold pain threshold
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Temporal summation
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Conditioned pain modulation
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Physical Activity
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Musculoskeletal pain
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Additionally questions about ergonomic and pain
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: 30-seconds sit to stand test
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Balance test
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Stair climb test
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Isokinetic muscle strength in the shoulder
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Isometric muscle strength in the shoulder
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Isokinetic muscle strength in the knee
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Isometric muscle strength in the knee
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Handgrip strength
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Psychosocial work environment
timeFrame: Once after baseline
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Esbjerg
country: Denmark
facility: The Hospital South West Jutland, University hospital of Southern Denmark
Study officials:
affiliation: The Hospital South West Jutland, University hospital of Southern Denmark
name: Simone Ejstrup, MSc
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: