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Preventive Intervention in Nursery School Teachers

This study has been completed.
Sponsor:
Information provided by:
University of Bologna
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00783562
First received: October 30, 2008
Last updated: NA
Last verified: October 2008
History: No changes posted
  Purpose

Childcare in nursery schools has been shown to be associated with an elevated prevalence of neck, shoulder, arm and low back disorders. The current evidence suggests that exercises seem to be the only effective preventive intervention. Thus the purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of an extension-oriented exercise program in preventing low back/neck pain and functional disability in nursery school teachers. In addition, the investigators also sought to identify the occurrence of musculoskeletal complaints in this category of workers.


Condition Intervention Phase
Low Back Pain
Neck Pain
 Other: Extension-oriented exercise program
Other: Informative Brochure
 Phase 1

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single Blind (Investigator)
Primary Purpose: Prevention
Official Title: Effectiveness of an Extension-Oriented Exercise Program in Preventing Neck and Low Back Complaints in Nursery School Teachers

Resource links provided by NLM:

U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by University of Bologna:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index [ Time Frame: Baseline, 2 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Pain Drawing and Visual Analogue Scale [ Time Frame: Baseline, 2 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Enrollment: 71
Study Start Date: October 2007
Study Completion Date: December 2007
Primary Completion Date: December 2007 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Experimental: 1 Other: Extension-oriented exercise program
The exercise program was composed of six graded sessions, two per week for three consecutive weeks. Sessions, each of one hour length, were conducted after the working hours in a wide room of the nursery school, gathering together all the teachers from each school. The exercises were selected in order to reinforce lumbar extension and to strengthen the primary stabilizers of the spine (transversus abdominis, oblique abdominal, multifidus, quadratus lumborum and erector spinae muscles)
Other Name: EOTA
Other: Informative Brochure
The brochure showed the correct way to lift loads, and provided ergonomic suggestions to prevent musculoskeletal complaints, according to the Italian legislation
Other Names:
  • Educational
  • Informative Pamphlet
Active Comparator: 2 Other: Informative Brochure
The brochure showed the correct way to lift loads, and provided ergonomic suggestions to prevent musculoskeletal complaints, according to the Italian legislation
Other Names:
  • Educational
  • Informative Pamphlet

Detailed Description:

Seventy-one nursery school teachers working in nine school buildings were randomly divided into two groups, with each school as a unit of randomization. All the teachers in both groups received an ergonomic brochure; teachers in the experimental group also received an extension-oriented exercise program, conducted by a physical therapist. Data were collected at baseline and at a two-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure recorded was the level of disability (Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index), while secondary outcome measures included LBP and neck pain presence (Pain Drawing) and intensity (Visual Analogue Scale). At follow-up, a significant improvement was registered in the experimental group for all the outcomes evaluated. In conclusion a six-session extension-oriented exercise program proved decisive in preventing low back and neck complaints and in reducing consequent LBP functional disability among nursery school teachers.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years to 70 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:   Female
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

The study population was composed by all the 71 nursery school teachers, employed at the town hall of Forlì, that worked in nine different school buildings similar in size and furniture. As provided for by the Italian law (Emilia-Romagna Regional Law No. 1 of January 10, 2000 - art. 32, followed by the Directive of July 25, 2001), teachers had the same working schedule and the same workload in terms of teacher/children ratio depending on children age.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • medical history of serious injury
  • spinal surgery
  • malignant pathology
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00783562

Locations
Italy
University of Bologna
Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, 40138
Sponsors and Collaborators
University of Bologna
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Paolo Pillastrini, MSc University of Bologna
  More Information

Publications:

Responsible Party: Paolo Pillastrini, University of Bologna
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00783562     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: PP001032008
Study First Received: October 30, 2008
Last Updated: October 30, 2008
Health Authority: Italy: Ethics Committee

Keywords provided by University of Bologna:
Low back pain
Neck pain
Functional disability
 Nursery school teachers
Exercise program
Prevention

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Back Pain
Neck Pain
Low Back Pain
Pain
 Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Signs and Symptoms

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 16, 2013