RESUMO
Validity test is important during the development of ergonomics measurement. Failure to conduct validity tests will result in the measurement method being developed to be incapable of providing reliable ergonomics measurements. The objective of this study is to conduct validity test on the simple method ergonomics measurement which was developed. The method named Simple Ergonomics Risks Assessment (SERA). Content validity test and criterion validity test were conducted. The content validity test consists of 6 ergonomics experts who actively provide inputs and positive feedbacks to improve the measurement method being developed. Meanwhile, the criterion validity test involves data collection of complaints on body parts among oil palm workers which were derived from Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and ergonomics risk assessment scores obtained from SERA. Both findings were tested with the Chi-square test to explore possible relations between the two findings. Results from the test conducted showed that there are significant relations in the scores of neck posture; hip, right and left shoulder, right and left wrists and the right hand associated with fresh fruit bunch (FFB) harvesting activities. In the loose fruits collection, the Chi-square test showed significant relations in the scores of neck posture, hip, right and left shoulders, right wrist, right arm and the left hand. However, there are body parts such as the legs which showed no significant relation. More tests should be conducted to further explore the validity of the method being developed. Findings from both validity tests show that SERA were verified by the experts and tested with validated method so that it is valid to be applied in the future.
RESUMO
A esclerose múltipla (EM) é uma doença neurológica progressiva e incapacitante, cujos sintomas afetam o funcionamento motor, sensorial e psicológico. Diversas variáveis clínicas e psicossociais influenciam o perfil neuropsicológico na EM, que é extremamente heterogêneo. O objetivo principal do presente estudo foi investigar a possibilidade de estratificar estatisticamente portadores de EM e controles a partir das dimensões neurológica, sócio-demográfica e neuropsicológica de funcionamento. A partir desse objetivo, foi conduzido um procedimento de análise de conglomerados utilizando cinco instrumentos neuropsicológicos, selecionados dentre uma gama de nove medidas, de acordo com a acurácia diagnóstica. A amostra foi constituída por 45 pessoas saudáveis e 35 portadores de EM com características sócio-demográficas semelhantes. Os resultados indicaram uma solução ideal com quatro conglomerados a partir de duas dimensões, funcionamento "cognitivo" e "psicossocial", que representam aspectos independentes, porém não disjuntivos, do funcionamento neuropsicológico na EM.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressively disabling neurological disease which symptoms affect sensory, motor and psychological functioning. Several clinical neurological and psychological variables influence the neuropsychological profile in MS, which is extremely heterogeneous. The main objective of the present study was to investigate if it is possible to statistically stratify control subjects and MS patients from neurological, socio-demographic and neuropsychological dimensions. With this purpose we applied cluster analysis procedures to five neuropsychological instruments selected according to diagnostic accuracy from a pool of 9 neuropsychological tests. The sample was composed of 45 healthy controls and 35 MS patients with similar socio-demographic characteristics. The results indicated an ideal solution with 4 different clusters according to two dimensions: "cognitive" and "psychosocial" functioning, which represent independent but non-disjunctive aspects of neuropsychological functioning in MS.