Formal caregiving of elderly dependent people is a both physically and psychologically demanding job, and both musculoskeletal and mental disorders with a negative impact in general health and quality of life are habitual among eldercare workers. Previous research has shown that physical exercise programs can reduce and/or prevent those disorders, consequently improving well-being at work. Online exercise interventions might be a cost-effective tool, as they can reach a large number of people at a relatively low cost. Moreover, they are compatible with situations in which interpersonal physical distancing is required, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, real-time videoconference-based exercise interventions have not yet been studied in working populations. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the effects of a real-time videoconference-based exercise intervention in eldercare workers. The primary outcome will be low back pain. Pain in neck, shoulders and wrists/hands will also be recorded, as well as additional measures of physical fitness, psychoaffective state, health and work-related variables. All outcomes will be measured at baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
130
12-week exercise program consisting of two weekly 45 minute group-based sessions, remotely supervised by a professional via real-time videoconference. Each session will consist of a warm-up (5-10 min), general strengthening (30 min) and cool-down (5-10 min). Warm-up will include general joint mobility and exercises focused on increasing heart rate. General strengthening will include 4 series of 6 exercises (2 for lower limb, 2 for upper limb and 2 for the trunk) performed with minimal equipment, combining body-weight and elastic-band exercises. Three difficulty levels will be set for each of the exercises, and progression will be made at weeks 5 and 9. Participants will be asked to work in a given rate of perceived exertion (between 3 and 5 in Borg's CR10 scale) and not to reach failure in any of the exercises. Cool-down will include stretching and breathing/relaxing exercises.
Residencia Aspaldiko
Portugalete, Bizkaia, Spain
Caser Residencial Betharram
Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa, Spain
Change from baseline average pain intensity at 12 weeks
Average pain intensity during the last 7 days in a Numerical Rating Scale for pain ranging from 0 (complete absence of pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). This information will be collected for pain in the low back, neck, shoulders and wrists/hands.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week follow-up
Change from baseline average pain intensity at 48 weeks
Average pain intensity during the last 7 days in a Numerical Rating Scale for pain ranging from 0 (complete absence of pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). This information will be collected for pain in the low back, neck, shoulders and wrists/hands.
Time frame: At baseline and at 48-week follow-up
Change from baseline highest pain intensity at 12 weeks
Highest pain intensity during the last 7 days in a Numerical Rating Scale for pain ranging from 0 (complete absence of pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). This information will be collected for pain in the low back, neck, shoulders and wrists/hands.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week follow-up
Change from baseline highest pain intensity at 48 weeks
Highest pain intensity during the last 7 days in a Numerical Rating Scale for pain ranging from 0 (complete absence of pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). This information will be collected for pain in the low back, neck, shoulders and wrists/hands.
Time frame: At baseline and at 48-week follow-up
Change from baseline pain frequency at 12 weeks
Number of days in pain during the last 7 days (0-7). This information will be collected for pain in the low back, neck, shoulders and wrists/hands.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week follow-up
Change from baseline pain frequency at 48 weeks
Number of days in pain during the last 7 days (0-7). This information will be collected for pain in the low back, neck, shoulders and wrists/hands.
Time frame: At baseline and at 48-week follow-up
Change from baseline pain interference at 12 weeks
Number of days in which pain negatively interferes with work during the last 7 days of work (0-7). This information will be collected for pain in the low back, neck, shoulders and wrists/hands.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week follow-up
Change from baseline pain interference at 48 weeks
Number of days in which pain negatively interferes with work during the last 7 days of work (0-7). This information will be collected for pain in the low back, neck, shoulders and wrists/hands.
Time frame: At baseline and at 48-week follow-up
Analgesic medication consumption frequency
Number of days in which analgesic medication is taken during the last 7 days (0-7).
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
5-repetition sit-to-stand test
It measures lower limb strength based on the time taken by the participant to get up from and sit down on a chair five times as quickly as possible.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Kneeling push-up test
It measures upper limb strength based on the maximum number of "knee push-ups" the participant can perform until failure.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Shirado-Ito trunk flexor endurance test
It measures trunk flexor endurance based on the maximum time the participant is able to maintain a defined body position, which mainly activates trunk flexor muscles.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Subjective Happiness scale
It is comprised of 4 items, each of them answered with a score between 1 and 7. A single composite score is obtained by averaging the responses to the 4 items, and a higher score corresponds to a greater happiness.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scale
The scale includes 9 items for anxiety symptoms and 9 items for depression symptoms. Each item is answered with a "Yes" or a "No". A higher number of positive answers corresponds to a higher risk of suffering a clinically relevant anxiety or depression disorder, respectively.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Maslach Burnout Inventory
The Inventory is comprised of 22 items corresponding to three domains: personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Each item is answered in a 0-6 Likert scale depending on the frequency with which the participant experiences the feelings described. One total score per domain is obtained.
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Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale
It evaluates overall sleep quality in the last 7 days with a numerical scale that ranges between 0 (terrible) and 10 (excellent).
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Hypnotic/anxiolytic medication consumption frequency
Number of days in which hypnotic/anxiolytic medication is taken during the last 7 days (0-7).
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
EuroQol-5D 0-100 health state scale
It measures self-perceived current health state in a scale ranging from 0 (worst imaginable health state) to 100 (best imaginable health state).
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Work Ability
Work ability will be assessed by the following item extracted from the Workability Index: "assuming that your work ability at its best has a value of 10 points, how many points would you rate your current work ability?". Participants are asked to give a score ranging from 0 (completely unable to work) to 10 (lifetime best work ability).
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Work Performance
Work performance will be assessed by the following item extracted from the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire: "On a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 is the worst job performance anyone could have at your job and 10 is the performance of a top worker, how would you rate your overall work performance on the days you worked during the last 12 weeks?" Participants are asked to give a score between 0 and 10.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Borg's CR-10 scale for perceived physical exertion at work
It measures perceived physical exertion while doing physical work in a scale ranging from 0 (nothing at all) to 10 (extremely strong).
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups
Absenteeism
Days of absence from work during the last year will be collected from the official registry of the company and by self-reported questionnaire. Presence of absenteeism (yes/no), days of absence (n) and reason will be collected.
Time frame: At baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups