| Objective: To determine the effectiveness of ergonomic training on postural habits and computer operators’ psychosocial mediating variables based on the transtheoretical model (TTM). Design: A prospective randomized controlled trial. Setting: Departments of two universities in Qazvin, Iran. Participants: One hundred and thirty-four of operators, mean age 31.0 ± 7.2 years, who worked at a computer for a minimum of 20 h per week. The subjects were divided into intervention (n = 67) and control (n = 67) groups. Intervention: The intervention group received a TTM-based intervention involving eight 2-h sessions, which included 45–60 min stage-matched ergonomic counseling, ergonomic behavior training, and a package of training materials comprising a facilitator's handbook and a handout regarding computer ergonomic guidelines (Ergo-Guidelines). Outcome measures: Ergonomic knowledge, stage of change, self-efficacy, pros and cons, preventive behavior and rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) scores were measured at baseline, 3- and 6-month post-ergonomics training. Results: Although both groups were homogeneous in all variables at baseline, the intervention group showed significant improvements in stages of change (P < 0.001), ergonomic knowledge (P < 0.001), pros (P < 0.05), cons (P < 0.05) and self-efficacy (P < 0.05). A significant decrease in RULA score was observed for the intervention groups; however, intervention did not significantly improve RULA. Conclusions: Results from this study provide evidence that TTM-based ergonomic training among computer operators can improve postural risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher; full text by subscription.
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