BackgroundA mismatch between individual physical capacities and physical work demands enhance the risk for musculoskeletal disorders, poor work ability and sickness absence, termed physical deterioration. However, effective intervention strategies for preventing physical deterioration in job groups with high physical demands remains to be established. This paper describes the background, design and conceptual model of the FINALE programme, a framework for health promoting interventions at 4 Danish job groups (i.e. cleaners, health-care workers, construction workers and industrial workers) characterized by high physical work demands, musculoskeletal disorders, poor work ability and sickness absence.Methods/DesignA novel approach of the FINALE programme is that the interventions, i.e. 3 randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 1 exploratory case-control study are tailored to the physical work demands, physical capacities and health profile of workers in each job-group. The RCT among cleaners, characterized by repetitive work tasks and musculoskeletal disorders, aims at making the cleaners less susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders by physical coordination training or cognitive behavioral theory based training (CBTr). Because health-care workers are reported to have high prevalence of overweight and heavy lifts, the aim of the RCT is long-term weight-loss by combined physical exercise training, CBTr and diet. Construction work, characterized by heavy lifting, pushing and pulling, the RCT aims at improving physical capacity and promoting musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health. At the industrial work-place characterized by repetitive work tasks, the intervention aims at reducing physical exertion and musculoskeletal disorders by combined physical exercise training, CBTr and participatory ergonomics. The overall aim of the FINALE programme is to improve the safety margin between individual resources (i.e. physical capacities, and cognitive and behavioral skills) and physical work demands, and thereby reduce the physical deterioration in a long term perspective by interventions tailored for each respective job-group.DiscussionThe FINALE programme has the potential to provide evidence-based knowledge of significant importance for public health policy and health promotion strategies for employees at high risk for physical deterioration.Trial registrationsISRCTN96241850, NCT01015716 and NCT01007669

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BackgroundCleaners constitute a job group with poor health and low socioeconomic resources. Therefore, there is a great need for scientifically documented health promoting initiatives for cleaners. However, both workplace initiatives and high quality intervention studies are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 3-month workplace trial with interventions to improve physical or cognitive behavioural resources among cleaners.MethodsA cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted among 294 female cleaners from 9 workplaces. The participants were allocated to three groups: Physical coordination training (PCT, n = 95), Cognitive behavioural theory-based training (CBTr, n = 99) and Reference group (REF, n = 100). Interventions were conducted during work hours for an average of 1 hour/week. Muscle strength was measured by maximal voluntary contractions in trunk/extension, and shoulder abduction/elevation. Postural balance was measured on a force platform. Kinesiophobia was measured with Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia. Test and questionnaires were completed at baseline and at 3-month follow-up and analyses followed the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle with last observation carried forward in case of missing data at follow-up. Reports and analyses are given on true observations as well.ResultsITT-analyses revealed that PCT improved strength of the trunk (p < .05) and postural balance (p < .05) compared to CBTr and REF. Based on true observations the strength and balance improvements corresponded to ~20% and ~16%, respectively. ITT-analyses showed that CBTr reduced kinesiophobia compared to PCT and REF (p < .05). Based on true observations, the improvement corresponded to a ~16% improvement.ConclusionThis workplace-based intervention study including PCT and CBTr among cleaners improved strength and postural balance from PCT, and kinesiophobia from CBTr. The improved strength, postural balance and kinesiophobia may improve the cleaners' tolerance for high physical work demands. Future studies should investigate the potential in the combination of PCT and CBTr in a workplace intervention.Trial registrationCurrent controlled trials ISRCTN96241850

The present paper presents the relationship between the total body-pain (TBP) score, defined as the total number of areas shaded on a pain drawing, and the pain from one area, the Shoulder-Neck (SN), among subjects in or out of full-time gainful work respectively. Furthermore, relationships between pain-score, self-experienced health (SEH) and level of mental distress, measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were investigated. The analyses is based on a general population sample of 8,116 men and women, 45-60 years of age, completing a questionnaire in the Malmö Shoulder Neck Study. The TBP-score was higher with increasing pain from the SN area, being out of full-time work and among women. Independently of working status, the SEH decreased with increasing pain in the SN area, which was enhanced, by increasing TBP-score. The proportion of women out of full-time gainful work was twice as high as for men. Women showed the same SEH levels with regard to their pain status, independently of their working status while men working full-time scored higher than women did. Oppositely, men out of full-time work had the lowest SEH in relation to their pain status. The GHQ scores of mental distress varied essentially in the same way as the SEH did. The results emphasize the need for an assessment of the number of pain locations and which one that first gave symptoms when studying possible causal relationships between low force musculoskeletal load and development of localized pain. If such data are not collected in epidemiological studies on causes for musculoskeletal pain it will at best lead to unnoticed effect modifications. At worst a potential confounding situation may occur. The relationship between the self-experienced health, mental distress and chronic pain identifies chronic pain as a major public-health problem and suggests a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment and rehabilitation already before work capacity is lost.