Occupational Health
Conditions
Keywords
Occupational Health, Ergonomics, Motor Skills, Hand Strength, telemedicine, upper extremity
Brief summary
Many office workers spend long hours at desks, which can lead to hand and upper limb problems. These issues may reduce hand strength and affect daily activities and work performance. This study will evaluate whether an online ergonomic training and hand exercise program is practical and helpful for desk-based workers over four weeks. Researchers will measure hand grip strength and fine motor skills before and after the program to assess its potential benefits.
Detailed description
Prolonged desk-based work and increased screen time have been associated with a higher risk of upper extremity musculoskeletal problems, particularly affecting hand function. Reduced grip strength and impaired fine motor skills may negatively influence daily activities and work performance in office workers. Maintaining and improving hand function is therefore an important component of occupational health in this population. Tele-education-based interventions have gained increasing attention as accessible and scalable approaches to deliver ergonomic training and exercise programs. However, current evidence on online interventions specifically targeting hand function in desk-based workers remains limited. This study is designed as a single-group pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effects of a tele-education-based ergonomic training and hand exercise program in office workers. The intervention will be conducted over four weeks and will include online ergonomic education and structured hand exercises delivered under physiotherapist supervision. In addition to supervised sessions, participants will be encouraged to continue the exercises as part of a home-based program. The feasibility of the program will be explored in terms of its applicability in a remote setting. The potential effects of the intervention on hand function will be examined through changes observed before and after the program. The findings of this study are expected to provide preliminary evidence to inform the design of future controlled trials and contribute to the development of accessible interventions for desk-based workers.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTele-Education-Based Ergonomic Training and Hand Exercise Program
Participants will receive a four-week tele-education-based ergonomic training and hand exercise program. Ergonomic education will be provided once at the beginning of the program through an online session. The exercise program will include supervised sessions conducted by a physiotherapist twice per week, each lasting approximately 40 minutes, focusing on structured hand exercises. Participants will also be instructed to perform the exercises on other days as part of a home-based program. The intervention is designed to improve working posture and support hand function during daily activities.
Sponsors
Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Aged between 18 and 60 years * Working at a desk for at least 5 hours per day * Having no regular exercise habits * Not having received prior training related to office ergonomics, hand dexterity, or grip strength * Working in a desk-based job for at least 1 year * Willing to participate and providing written informed consen
Exclusion criteria
* History of surgery involving the wrist or hand * Diagnosis of a neurological disorder * Inability to maintain regular participation during the training program
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| hand grip strength | Baseline and Week 4 | Participants' hand grip strength was measured face-to-face using a digital hand dynamometer. Measurements were performed in accordance with the standard testing position recommended by the American Hand Therapy Association (AHTA) (Hamilton et al., 1992). Higher scores indicate greater grip strength. |
| Fine Motor Skills (Nine-Hole Peg Test) | Baseline and Week 4 | The Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT) was administered face-to-face to assess hand dexterity and fine motor performance. During the assessment, participants were seated at a table and instructed to pick up nine pegs from a container and place them into the holes as quickly as possible, in any order, and then remove them without interruption and return them to the container. Performance time was recorded in seconds using a stopwatch. The test was performed twice consecutively for each hand, and the average of the two trials for each hand was calculated. Shorter completion times indicate better fine motor skills (Oxford et al., 2003). |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Outcome results
None listed