Work Related Diumal Changes in Trunk Mechanical Behavior

Low back pain (LBP) is a major concern across different US industries with reported annual prevalence of ranging between 5% to 30%. The inability for identification of workers at risk for occupational LBP has directed preventive efforts toward management of known risk factors for LBP at workplace. Considering differences in physical and psychological fitness of workers, a fit-for-all approach via reduction of exposure to specific risk factors is not likely an effective way of designing preventive interventions for occupational LBP. Our goal is to contribute to prevention and control of occupational LBP via development and application of methods that enhance identification of at-risk workers and can further inform design of effective and personalized preventive interventions. The specific objective of this pilot project is to generate evidence in support of an R01 application that will be aimed at investigation of the relationship between work-related changes in lower back biomechanics of individual workers and risk of occupational LBP. Our unique approach will focus on individualized assessment of the lower back biomechanics and its changes over the course of a work shift, therefore, not only accounting for the effects of workplace factors but also the influence of physical and psychological fitness of worker. Outcomes/impact: In addition to enabling sample size justification, successful completion of this pilot project will help us demonstrate our access to the target worker population (i.e., nurses) and our ability to complete the proposed biomechanical data collections that should take place both before and after a typical work shift. The specific aims of the R01 application along with select aspects of its research plan are provided in the following sections. We will complete the proposed biomechanical data collections as well as two surveys related to habitual physical activity and psychosocial characteristics for 20 nurses in this pilot project. In addition to participant compensation, the requested budget will support two biomedical engineering students that will carry out the collection and analyses of biomechanical data and one public health student who will help with recruitment, consenting, and screening along with the completion of surveys. IRB approval will be obtained in August 2019 and subject recruitment and data collection will start immediately after IRB approval. Data collection will be completed before January 2020 and the R01 application will be submitted in February 2020.