Comparison of the effectiveness of participatory and didactic office ergonomics education programs

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders of computer users represent a growing, costly burden on employees, the workplace, the health care system, and society. Office ergonomic educational strategies, using a variety of approaches, have been developed and implemented to address this concern. The effectiveness of ergonomic educational approaches has not been well documented, nor have employees' perceptions of barriers or facilitators to making changes been explored.;Both the Didactic and the Participatory Education intervention groups demonstrated quantitative improvements relative to baseline on post-intervention measures of perception of ergonomic knowledge, self reported workstation evaluation and adjustment behaviours, and the ability to set up the workstation to allow for working in neutral positions. There was not, however, a significant difference between the two treatment groups.;The qualitative findings provided context to the workers' experience of employing ergonomic strategies in their work environment. Participants identified a wide range of barriers and facilitators to translating ergonomic knowledge into safe behaviours in the workplace. These barriers and facilitators were influenced by the method of information delivery. These findings provide valuable insight into the factors that affect knowledge uptake and behavioural changes in the work environment.;In summary, both methods of educational intervention were effective in creating positive workstation changes and safer workplace behaviours. The participants' perceptions of the barriers and facilitators which influence these changes may inform understanding of the complex process of translating knowledge into practice in the workplace.;This study evaluated and compared the effectiveness of two office ergonomics educational methods (didactic and participatory) when delivering office ergonomics education. A mixed method design was used, utilizing a sequential exploratory strategy. Forty seven employees from a health information contact centre work environment were assigned according to their work schedule to either a Participatory or a Didactic Ergonomics Education Group. Prior to participating in an educational intervention, participants completed a demographic profile, the Workstyle Questionnaire, a self report pain questionnaire, the Ergonomics Knowledge Self-measurement Scale and the Workstation Evaluation and Adjustment Questionnaire. In addition, the researcher visited each participants' workstation while the employee was working and completed a workstation analysis which addressed equipment placement and work practices. Subsequently each participant attended an office ergonomic education session for 60 minutes. Six weeks after delivery of the education session, participants were retested on quantitative measures, and the researcher returned to each participant's workstation to complete an additional workstation analysis. The researcher also met with each participant to ask a series of open ended questions regarding perceived barriers and facilitators to implementing workstation and work practice changes.