Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies. [SD=standard deviation; RCT=randomised controlled trial; NR=not reported].
| Study, country | Study design (total N randomised) | Mean age (SD); N female gender (%) | Highest level of education [N (%)] | Setting / occupations | Intervention classification | Name of interventions (N randomised) | Longest follow-up (months) | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andersen 2008, Denmark | Cluster RCT (549) | 45.0 (9.4a; 397 (64.4%) | NR | Office workers (public administration authority) | Physical activity | Specific resistance training (180) | 12 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) painb, neck (-shoulder) pain intensityb, adverse events |
| Multicomponent intervention including physical activity | All-round physical exercise (187) | |||||||
| Education | Reference intervention (182) | |||||||
| Baydur2016,Turkey | Cluster RCT (116) | 36 (8.4); 69 (59.5%) | Elementary school: 1 (0.9%), Junior high school: 2 (1.7%), Senior high school: 37 (31.9%), University: 76 (65.5%) | Office workers (municipality) | Other multicomponent intervention | Participatory ergonomic intervention (58) | 13 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain b |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (58) | |||||||
| Bohr2000,USA | RCT (154) | 42.5 (SD NR); 133 (86.4%) | NR | Agents (centralised reservation facility for an international transportation company) | Education | Traditional education (51) | 12 | Participants with pain in various regions |
| Ergonomics | Participatory education (50) | |||||||
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (53) | |||||||
| Brakenridge2018,Australia | Cluster RCT (153) | 38.9 (8.0); 70 (45.8%) | ≥University: 121 (84%) | Office workers (international property and infrastructure group) | Other multicomponent intervention | Organisational support (87) | 12 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain, participants with lower back pain, participants with upper back pain, neck (-shoulder) pain intensity, lower back pain intensity, upper back pain intensity, intervention satisfaction |
| Other multicomponent intervention | Organisational support + tracker (66) | |||||||
| Brisson1999,Canada | Cluster RCT (774) | 43 (SD NR); N female gender NR (80%) | NR | Workers employed in a large university and in other institutions involved in university services | Ergonomics | Ergonomic training program (N randomised NR) | 6 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) painb, participants with lower back pain b |
| No/minimal intervention | Reference group (N randomised NR) | |||||||
| Coenen2017,Australia | Cluster RCT (231) | 45.6 (9.4); 158 (68.4%) | Post school education: 151 (66.8%) | Office workers at a government department (managers/administrators, professionals/associates, clericals/sales/service) | Other multicomponent intervention | Stand up Victoria (136) | 12 | Days of work absenceb, intervention satisfaction, adverse events |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (95) | |||||||
| Conlon 2008,USA | RCT (206) | 42.9 (9.8) a; 57 (27.8%) a | High school: 17 (8.5%) a, College: 70 (33.8%) a, Graduate school: 121 (58.5%) a | Engineers and professionals that support engineering projects (e.g. programmers, graphic designers, project developers) at an aerospace engineering firm | No/minimal intervention | Conventional mouse (52) | 12 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain b, neck (-shoulder) pain intensity |
| Ergonomics | Alternative mouse (52) | |||||||
| Ergonomics | Conventional mouse + forearm support board (51) | |||||||
| Ergonomics | Alternative mouse plus forearm support board (51) | |||||||
| Dalager 2017,Denmark | RCT (387) | 44 (10); 286 (74%) | NR | Office workers from two private companies, two public municipalities, and two national boards | Physical activity | Training group (193) | 12 | Neck (-shoulder) pain intensityb, lower back pain intensityb, upper back pain intensityb, days of work absence b |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (194) | |||||||
| Edwardson 2018, UK | Cluster RCT (146) | 41.2 (11.1); 116 (79%) | NR | Hospital employees conducting sedentary work at the office | Other multicomponent intervention | Stand More At Work Intervention (77) | 12 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) painb, participants with lower back pain b, days of work absenceb, intervention satisfaction |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (69) | |||||||
| Eklöf 2006, Sweden | Cluster RCT (396) | NR | NR | White-collar workers (banking, transport, manufacturing industry, software engineering, public administration and wholesale) | Other multicomponent intervention | Individual feedback (97) | 6 | Participants with pain in various regions |
| Other multicomponent intervention | Supervisor feedback (106) | |||||||
| Other multicomponent intervention | Group feedback (98) | |||||||
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (95) | |||||||
| Gerr 2005, USA | RCT (356) | Age NR; 279 (77.1%) a | college graduates: 258 (71.3%) a | Newly hired persons working with a computer workstation in office settings | Ergonomics | Alternate intervention (121) | 6 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain b |
| Ergonomics | Conventional intervention (122) | |||||||
| No/minimal intervention | No Intervention (113) | |||||||
| Other multicomponent intervention | Usual practice (123) | |||||||
| Joines 2015, USA | RCT (100) | Age NR; 85 (89.4%) | High school: 9 (9.5%), Junior College (1-2 yrs.): 28 (29.5%), College graduates: 42 (44.2%), Graduate school: 16 (16.8%) | Clinical researchers at a university/medical centre | Ergonomics | Intervention group (N randomised NR) | 6 | Neck (-shoulder) pain intensity, lower back pain intensity, upper back pain intensity, intervention satisfaction |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (N randomised NR) | |||||||
| Karatrantou2020,Greece | RCT (40) | 43.4 (5.9); 21 (58.3%) | NR | Administrative office staff | Physical activity | Training group (20) | 6 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain b, participants with lower back pain b, participants with upper back pain b, pain intensity - various regions b, days of work absence b, intervention satisfaction, adverse events |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (20) | |||||||
| King2013,Canada | RCT (23) | NR | NR | Office workers (research organisation) | Behavioural intervention | Biofeedback mouse (11) | 6 | Pain intensity - various regionsb, intervention satisfaction |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (12) | |||||||
| Konradt2020,Germany | RCT (127) | Age NR; 68 (58.6%) | NR | University employees (scientific, services) | Other multicomponent intervention | Sit-stand office desks (58) | 24 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain b, participants with lower back pain b, neck (-shoulder) pain intensity b, lower back pain intensity b |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (69) | |||||||
| Lee2020,Brazil | Cluster RCT (64) | 29.0 (6.1) a; 41 (64.1%)a | Undergraduate: 16 (25%), Graduate: 48 (75%) | Office workers (distance education sector of a university) | Ergonomics | Ergonomic workstation intervention (32) | 9 | Neck (-shoulder) pain intensity b, lower back pain intensity b, upper back pain intensity b |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (32) | |||||||
| Mahmud2010,Malaysia | Cluster RCT (179) | 34.4 (9.4) a; 134 (74.9%) a | High school: 78 (43.5%) a, Technical certificate/diploma: 50 (28.0%) a, Degree (bachelor’s/post-degree): 36 (20.2%) a, Other: 15 (8.3%) a | Office workers (bursary, registry, library, research management centre, professional and continuing education, centre of information and communication technology) | Other multicomponent intervention | Office ergonomics training (89) | 12 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain b, participants with lower back pain b, participants with upper back pain b, days of work absence b |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (90) | |||||||
| Meijer2009,Netherlands | Cluster RCT (354) | 44 (SD NR); 166 (46.9%) | NR | Office workers (regional governmental institute) | Behavioural intervention | Computer mouse with feedback signal (178) | 8 | Participants with pain in various regions b |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (176) | |||||||
| Moore2012,USA | RCT (54) | 49.3 (SD NR); 23 (76.7%)a | NR | University employees (clerical, educational, administration, nursing, laboratory assistant) with sedentary job | Physical activity | Daily exercise (N randomised NR) | 12 | Participants with lower back pain b |
| No/minimal intervention | Normal activity (N randomised NR) | |||||||
| Pereira2019,Australia | Cluster RCT (763) | 42.7 (10.7a; 452 (59%) | Primary to year 12: 85 (23.2%) a, University: 230 (62.7%) a, Trade college: 52 (14.2%) a | Office workers (public service, administration, manufacturing/construction, higher education, insurance and local government) | Multicomponent intervention including physical activity | Ergonomics and exercise training (381) | 12 | Neck (-shoulder) pain intensity b, days of work absence b, intervention satisfaction, adverse events |
| Other multicomponent intervention | Ergonomics and health promotion (382) | |||||||
| Proper2003,Netherlands | RCT (299) | 43.9 (8.9) a; 99 (32.8%)a | Highly educated: 196 (65.5%) a | Civil servants of three municipal services | Other multicomponent intervention | Individual counselling (131) | 9 | Participants with lower back pain b |
| No/minimal intervention | Control group (168) | |||||||
| Rempel2006,USA | RCT (182) | 40.0 (12.1)a; 175 (95.3%) a | High school: 47 (25.7%) a, Some college: 77 (42.5%) a, Completed college: 59 (32.3%) a | Registered nurses or healthcare specialists working at two customer service centre sites of a large healthcare company | Ergonomics | Ergonomic training (46) | 12 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain, neck (-shoulder) pain intensity, intervention satisfaction |
| Ergonomics | Ergonomic training + trackball (45) | |||||||
| Ergonomics | Ergonomic training + armboard (46) | |||||||
| Ergonomics | Ergonomic training + trackball + armboard (45) | |||||||
| Renaud 2020,Netherlands | Cluster RCT (244) | 42.3 (10.2) a; 146 (59.8%) a | No/primary education: 7 (2.9%) a, Secondary education: 78 (32.0%) a, Professional education: 65 (26.6%) a, University education: 94 (38.5%) a | Office workers (insurance company) | Other multicomponent intervention | Dynamic work intervention (121) | 8 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain, participants with lower back pain, pain intensity - various regions, participants absent from work |
| Speklé2010,Netherlands | Cluster RCT (1,183) | 44.1 (9.4) a; 471 (39.8%) a | NR | Office workers (office staff, local government officials, engineers, consultants, teachers, health care personnel, nature conservation professionals, researchers, managers) | Multicomponent intervention including physical activity | Intervention group (605) | 12 | Participants with neck (-shoulder) pain b, days of work absence b |
| No/minimal intervention | Usual care (578) |
a
Not reported for total sample and calculated from reported groups.
b
Included in quantitative data synthesis (NMA).