title: A workplace exercise versus health promotion intervention to prevent and reduce the economic and personal burden of non-specific neck pain in office personnel: protocol of a cluster-randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Non-specific neck pain is a major burden to industry, yet the impact of introducing a workplace ergonomics and exercise intervention on work productivity and severity of neck pain in a population of office personnel is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Does a combined workplace-based best practice ergonomic and neck exercise program reduce productivity losses and risk of developing neck pain in asymptomatic workers, or decrease severity of neck pain in symptomatic workers, compared to a best practice ergonomic and general health promotion program?
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cluster randomised controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Office personnel aged over 18 years, and who work>30 hours/week.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individualised best practice ergonomic intervention plus 3×20 minute weekly, progressive neck/shoulder girdle exercise group sessions for 12 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individualised best practice ergonomic intervention plus 1-hour weekly health information sessions for 12 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary (productivity loss) and secondary (neck pain and disability, muscle performance, and quality of life) outcome measures will be collected using validated scales at baseline, immediate post-intervention and 12 months after commencement.
  
  
  METHODS
  640 volunteering office personnel will be randomly allocated to either an intervention or control arm in work group clusters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis will be on an 'intent-to-treat' basis and per protocol. Multilevel, generalised linear models will be used to examine the effect of the intervention on reducing the productivity loss in dollar units (AUD), and severity of neck pain and disability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study will have a direct impact on policies that underpin the prevention and management of neck pain in office personnel.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland Health, Brisbane; NHMRC Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Leary
authors.affiliation: Centre for Applied Health Economics, School of Medicine, Griffith University, Brisbane; Population and Social Health Research Program, Griffith Health Institute, Logan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Comans
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Perth.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Straker
authors.affiliation: Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Australia; Centre for Health Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melloh
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport Sciences and Clinical Biomechanics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sjøgaard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004526:Efficiency; D006804:Ergonomics / Q000379:methods; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017132:Workplace