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An update review of epidemiologic studies on the relationship between exposure to whole-body vibration and low back pain (1986-1997)
No full textDevelopment of a protocol for epidemiological studies of whole-body vibration and musculoskeletal disorders of the lower back
No full textVibration Injury Network: development of a protocol for a multicentre study on whole-body vibration and low back pain
No full textAn updated review of epidemiologic studies on the relationship between exposure to whole-body vibration and low back pain
No full textThe aim of this study is to update the information on the epidemiologic evidence of the adverse health effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) on the spinal system by means of a review of the epidemiologic studies published between 1986 and 1997. In a systematic search, using several databases, of epidemiologic studies of low back pain (LBP) disorders and occupations with exposure to WBV, 45 articles were retrieved. The quality of each study was evaluated according to criteria concerning the assessment of vibration exposure, assessment of health effects, and methodology. The epidemiologic studies reaching an adequate score on each of the above-mentioned criteria were included in the final review. A meta-analysis was also conducted in order to combine the results of independent epidemiologic studies. After applying the selection criteria, 17 articles reporting the occurrence of LBP disorders in 22 WBV-exposed occupational groups reached a sufficient score. The study design was cross-sectional for 13 occupational groups, longitudinal for four groups and of case-control type for one group. Two studies included both cross-sectional and follow-up data on the occurrence of LBP disorders in four occupational groups. The main reasons for the exclusion of studies were insufficient quantitative information on WBV exposure and the lack of control groups. The findings of the selected studies and the results of the meta-analysis of both cross-sectional and cohort studies showed that occupational exposure to WBV is associated with an increased risk for LBP, sciatic pain, and degenerative changes in the spinal system, including lumbar intervertebral disc disorders. Owing to the cross-sectional design of the majority of the reviewed studies, this epidemiologic evidence is not sufficient to outline a clear exposure-response relationship between WBV exposure and LBP disorders. Comparing the epidemiologic studies included in this review with those conducted before 1986, it is concluded that research design and the quality of exposure and health effect data in the field of WBV have improved in the last decad
Evaluation of an occupational health intervention programme on whole-body vibration in forklift truck drivers: a controlled trial
No full textObjectives: To evaluate process and outcome of a multifaceted occupational health intervention
programme on whole-body vibration (WBV) in forklift truck drivers.
Methods: An experimental pretest/post-test control group study design. The authors trained occupational
health services (OHS) in the experimental group in the use of the programme. OHS in the control group
were asked to deliver care as usual. In total, 15 OHS, 32 OHS professionals, 26 companies, and 260
forklift drivers were involved. Post-test measurements were carried out one year after the start of the
programme.
Results: Baseline data before the start of the programme showed no difference between experimental and
control group. Results of the outcome evaluation indicate a slight, although not statistically significant,
reduction of WBV exposure in the experimental group (p = 0.06). Process evaluation revealed a positive
influence on company policy toward WBV, attitude and intended behaviour of forklift drivers, and a trend
towards an increase in knowledge of OHS professionals and company managers. The number of
observed control measures with a major impact (levelling of surface and reduction of speed) was rather
low. In those cases where control measures had been taken, there was a significant reduction in WBV
exposure. This limited effect of the programme might be caused by the short period of follow up and the
dropout of participants. The feasibility and the usefulness of the programme within the OHS setting were
rated good by the participants.
Conclusions: This programme to decrease WBV exposure was partially effective. Significant effects on
intermediate objectives were observed. More research on the effectiveness of intervention in the field of
WBV is needed
Foreword to 5th International Conference on Whole Body Vibration Injuries held at Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 5-7 June 2013
No full text
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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