Observational studyAnnals of work exposures and health2022
Assessment of Physical Work Demands of Home Care Workers in Norway: An Observational Study Using Wearable Sensor Technology.
Observational study in Annals of work exposures and health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Use of Wearable Systems for Assessing Work-Related Risks Related to the Musculoskeletal System-A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Pooled it
- Can home care work be organized to promote musculoskeletal health for workers? Results from the GoldiCare cluster randomized controlled trial.BMC health services research · 2025Trial
- Work demands and physical activity in hospital employees with different degrees of musculoskeletal pain: descriptive data from the STUNTH study, Norway.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Occupational physical demands in eldercare workers: a systematic scoping review of studies reporting quantitative data.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Feasibility, Acceptability, and Perspectives Regarding the Use of Activity Tracking Wearable Devices Among Home Health Aides: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders: A prospective cohort study.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2025Article
- Differences in the temporal patterns of occupational time on feet and sitting between homecare and nursing home workers.Annals of work exposures and health · 2025Article
- Reorganization of work schedules for better distribution of work demands in home health care - a feasibility study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Low back pain and work-related factors among home health care workers with self-governing or conventional team structure - a natural experiment with a cross-sectional design.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2025Article
- Association between musculoskeletal pain and exposures to awkward postures during work: a compositional analysis approach.Annals of work exposures and health · 2024Article
- Is patients' activities of daily living self-care score in Norwegian home care a proxy for workers standing at work?BMC health services research · 2024Article
- "It's a good idea, but…": a qualitative evaluation of the GoldiCare intervention in Norwegian home care services.Frontiers in health services · 2024Article
- Physical Work Demands of Maintenance Workers on Onshore Petroleum Facilities in Norway: An Observational Study Utilizing Wearable Sensor Technology.Annals of work exposures and health · 2023Observational
- Can home care work be organized to promote health among the workers while maintaining productivity? An investigation into stakeholders' perspectives on organizational work redesign concepts based on the Goldilocks Work principles.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Can home care work be organized to promote musculoskeletal health for workers? Study protocol for the Norwegian GoldiCare cluster randomized controlled trial.BMC health services research · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesHigh physical work demands are believed to be partly responsible for the high sickness absence among home care workers, but no studies have assessed their physical work demands using precise device-based measurements. Hence, the objective of this observational study was to assess physical work demands in home care, using wearable sensors.
methodsFrom six home care units in a large municipality in Norway, 114 of 195 eligible home care workers filled in a questionnaire, a diary about work hours, and wore five accelerometers, and a heart rate sensor for up to six consecutive workdays.
resultsOn average, the homecare workers spent 50% of the working hours sitting, 25.2% standing, 11.4% moving, 8.3% walking fast, 1.9% walking slow, 1.2% stair-climbing, 0.3% cycling, and 0.05% running. We found the following exposures to demanding postures: arm-elevation in an upright body position ≥30° was 36.7%, ≥60° was 4.1%, and ≥90°was 0.5%; forward trunk inclination in an upright body position ≥30° was 9.9%, ≥60° was 4%, and ≥90° was 1%; and for kneeling it was 0.8%. We found the average cardiovascular load (%heart rate reserve) during work to be 28%. There was considerable individual variation in these physical exposures at work.
conclusionsThis study presents precise information on various physical work demands of home care workers in Norway. Home care workers spent on average half the workday sitting and the remaining time in various occupational physical activities. Presently, few device-based exposure limits have been proposed for acceptable amounts of occupational physical exposures, but the level of arm-elevation, forward trunk inclination, and the considerable variation of physical workloads among home care workers, indicate that preventive measures should be taken.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.