Stretching and Joint Mobilization Exercises Reduce Call-Center Operators’ Musculoskeletal Discomfort and Fatigue

Abstract

AIM:We sought to evaluate musculoskeletal discomfort and mental and physical fatigue in the call-center workers of an airline company before and after a supervised exercise program compared with rest breaks during the work shift.INTRODUCTION:This was a longitudinal pilot study conducted in a flight-booking call-center for an airline in São Paulo, Brazil. Occupational health activities are recommended to decrease the negative effects of the call-center working conditions. In practice, exercise programs are commonly recommended for computer workers, but their effects have not been studied in call-center operators.METHODS:Sixty-four call-center operators participated in this study. Thirty-two subjects were placed into the experimental group and attended a 10-min daily exercise session for 2 months. Conversely, 32 participants were placed into the control group and took a 10-min daily rest break during the same period. Each subject was evaluated once a week by means of the Corlett-Bishop body map with a visual analog discomfort scale and the Chalder fatigue questionnaire.RESULTS:Musculoskeletal discomfort decreased in both groups, but the reduction was only statistically significant for the spine and buttocks (p=0.04) and the sum of the segments (p=0.01) in the experimental group. In addition, the experimental group showed significant differences in the level of mental fatigue, especially in questions related to memory Rienzo, #181ff and tiredness (p=0.001).CONCLUSIONS:Our preliminary results demonstrate that appropriately designed and supervised exercise programs may be more efficient than rest breaks in decreasing discomfort and fatigue levels in call-center operators.

Risk Factors Affecting Subjective Symptoms of Fatigue Due to the Environment of High School Students’ Computer Workstation in the Republic of Korea

“…Our results are consistent with the findings that such significant risk factors influencing subjective symptoms of fatigue as musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, shoulder, back and ankle/foot are caused by subjective symptoms of fatigue 33) .…”

Effect of Different Types of Rest-Break Interventions on Neck and Shoulder Muscle Activity, Perceived Discomfort and Productivity in Symptomatic VDU Operators: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Further, rest breaks had a beneficial effect in reducing the level of muscle discomfort [39,40]. In addition, Lacaze, Sacco Ide, Rocha, et al reported that active breaks with stretching and joint mobilization reduced muscle discomfort significantly better than passive breaks [41]. The positive effect of dynamic contractions on a lower level of discomfort after rest-break intervention could result from increased muscle oxygenation [28].…”

Relação entre qualidade de vida e capacidade para o trabalho em funcionários do poder judiciário

“…Ademais, os servidores do TJPE praticantes de atividade física apresentaram maior escore de qualidade de vida em todos os domínios, com destaque para correlação no domínio ambiental (R=0,84; p=0,016). Esse indicativo pode ser reforçado por estudos que identificaram associação positiva na prática de atividade física regular e qualidade de vida em adultos 20,21 . Os domínios físico e psicológico demonstraram uma relação semelhante a resultados já identificados em outras populações, refletindo um direcionamento para possíveis intervenções visando manutenção ou melhora desses domí-nios.…”

“…Ainda, Lacaze et al 20 salientam que existe uma relação entre qualidade de vida e capacidade para o trabalho envolvendo variáveis como renda e atividade física. Nossos resultados apresentaram correlação moderada e significativa, para ambos os sexos, associada a atividade física regular e menor carga horária (6 horas/dia).…”