TY - JOUR
T1 - Questionnaires vs observational and direct measurements
T2 - A systematic review
AU - Barriera-Viruet, Heriberto
AU - Sobeih, Tarek M.
AU - Daraiseh, Nancy
AU - Salem, Sam
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - Background: Physical work requirements can be estimated by several different methods, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. To reduce the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, a quantitative assessment of work-related, physical risk factors is needed. Objective: To examine the validity of self-administered questionnaires (SAQ) in assessing work-related physical demands when compared to an expert’s evaluation using observational and/or direct measurement. Methods: An online search of relevant databases was conducted and identified articles were critically appraised using a quality scoring checklist. Evidence from the studies was compared and summarized. Results: A total of 12 studies evaluating work-related force, duration and frequency were identified. A critical appraisal checklist was used to assess methodological quality. The majority of the studies lacked the necessary elements of measurement validity and reliability as demonstrated by their low quality scores. Overall, there was a low-to-moderate agreement between SAQ and observational/ direct measurement. Conclusion: The validity of SAQ to assess work-related physical variables is questionable. When the rules of psychophysics are combined with a calibration method the validity is greatly improved. In addition, several personal factors need to be considered during data collection, in particular the presence of previous musculoskeletal disorders.
AB - Background: Physical work requirements can be estimated by several different methods, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. To reduce the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, a quantitative assessment of work-related, physical risk factors is needed. Objective: To examine the validity of self-administered questionnaires (SAQ) in assessing work-related physical demands when compared to an expert’s evaluation using observational and/or direct measurement. Methods: An online search of relevant databases was conducted and identified articles were critically appraised using a quality scoring checklist. Evidence from the studies was compared and summarized. Results: A total of 12 studies evaluating work-related force, duration and frequency were identified. A critical appraisal checklist was used to assess methodological quality. The majority of the studies lacked the necessary elements of measurement validity and reliability as demonstrated by their low quality scores. Overall, there was a low-to-moderate agreement between SAQ and observational/ direct measurement. Conclusion: The validity of SAQ to assess work-related physical variables is questionable. When the rules of psychophysics are combined with a calibration method the validity is greatly improved. In addition, several personal factors need to be considered during data collection, in particular the presence of previous musculoskeletal disorders.
KW - Direct measurements
KW - Observational methods
KW - Physical demands
KW - Self-administrated questionnaires
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U2 - 10.1080/14639220500090661
DO - 10.1080/14639220500090661
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85007839714
SN - 1463-922X
VL - 7
SP - 261
EP - 284
JO - Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science
JF - Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science
IS - 3
ER -