[Italian translation and validation of the Nordic IRSST standardized questionnaire for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms]. / Traduzione in lingua italiana e validazione del questionario standardizzato Nordic IRSST per la rilevazione di disturbi muscoloscheletrici.

BACKGROUND: Data on self-reported symptoms and/or functional impairments are important in research on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs). In such cases the availability of international standardized questionnaires is extremely important since they permit comparison of studies performed in different Countries. OBJECTIVES: Translation into Italian and validation of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), a tool which is widely used in studies on WRMSDs in the international scientific literature. METHODS: The extended Canadian version of the NMQ was translated into Italian. As per the current guidelines, the cross-cultural adaptation was performed by translation of the items from French, back-translation by independent mother-tongue translators and committee review. The resulting version of the questionnaire underwent pre-testing in 3 independent groups of subjects. The comprehensibility, reliability (internal consistency and reproducibility) and sensitivity were evaluated. RESULTS: After translation/back-translation and review of the items the comprehensibility of the Italian version of the questionnaire was judged good in a group of 40 workers. The internal consistency was evaluated using the Cronbach's Alpha test in the same group and in another 98 engineering workers: the results were on the whole acceptable. The reproducibility, which was tested with Cohen's Kappa test in the 40 workers, was good/excellent. In a preliminary evaluation, performed in 30 outpatients of a of Rehabilitation Service, sensitivity was very good. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the Italian version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire is valid for self-administration and can be applied in 'field" studies on self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms and functional impairments in group of workers.

[The Italian version of Nordic Musculoskeletal Standardized Questionnaire]. / Versione in lingua Italiana del questionario standardizzato autocompilabile Nordic IRSST per la rile vazione di disturbi muscoloscheletrici .

We translated into Italian the Nordic musculoskelethal questionnaire, as completed by Canadian IRSST with Authors' agreement in 2001, according to OMS recommendations. This translation involved the following items: aches and troubles of neck, dorsal region, low back, shoulders, elbows, hands and wrists, hips and thighs, ankles and feet in the last 12 months. The questionnaire was then submitted to reliability and stability tests. The Italian version of the questionnaire, already used in different languages, proved to be suitable and reliable also for self administration.

[Assessment of the risk of occupational biomechanical overload: comparison of methods currently used]. / La valutazione del rischio da sovraccarico biomeccanico occupazionale: confronto tra metodi di corrente utilizzo.

Some of the most common methods for the evaluation of the ergonomic risk of Work-Related Musculo Skeletal Disorders were applied to different workplaces. The results show that an evaluation of the single components of the synthetic risk-indices given by the methods is needed to evidence the specific critical aspects.

[Personal exposure to ELF magnetic fields in workers engaged in various occupations]. / Esposizione personale a campi magnetici a frequenza estremamente bassa in lavoratori addetti a varie mansioni.

Using personal dosimeters worn during two complete work-shifts, we measured occupational exposure to Extremely Low Frequency-Magnetic Fields (ELF-MF) in 290 workers employed in 56 jobs, representative of the main occupational activities in the area of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy). Environmental nonoccupational exposure was also monitored. In the whole sample, the mean Time-Weighted Average (TWA) exposure during work resulted 0.59 microT (SD 3.2), while the median was 0.13 microT. Exposure was lower than 1 microT in more than 90% of the workers. In one job only exposure was greater than 1 microT (job-related median TWA); in other 8 exposure was between 1 and 0.4 microT, while about 84% of the jobs presented a median TWA lower than 0.4 microT. A high variability among workers engaged in the same job resulted in various occupational tasks. Non-occupational exposure was lower than 0.4 microT in more than 98% of the examined workers. Our results show a low to moderate occupational exposure to ELF-MF in the greatest part of the workers and working activities. Also the non-occupational exposure resulted low in the large majority of the subjects. The high variability observed among workers engaged in some occupations may represent a problem in exposure evaluation. Personal monitoring is particularly useful in such a situations.

[Occupational exposure to 50 Hz magnetic fields in workers employed in various jobs]. / Esposizione professionale a campi magnetici a 50 Hz in lavoratori addetti a varie mansioni.

BACKGROUND: Information on occupational exposure to ELF magnetic fields (MF) in workers is largely insufficient, and is mostly based on results obtained in Scandinavian countries and North America. Accordingly, the collection of further data is needed, especially in workers exposed in other countries, including in Italy. METHODS: One hundred and fifty workers (84 males and 66 females) employed in 28 different jobs in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy were examined. Individual exposure was measured using personal monitors worn on the hip in a belted pouch during three whole work-shifts (8 hours each) of a normal working week. A sampling interval of 10 seconds was adopted, resulting in the collection of more than 8600 measurements for each worker. The individual Time-Weighted Average (TWA) occupational exposure of workers was calculated as the arithmetic mean of all measurements during each work-shift. Environmental non-occupational exposure was also measured. RESULTS: The 50 degrees percentile of individual TWA in the whole group was 0.15 microT, and the 5 degrees - 95 degrees percentile was respectively 0.02-1.45 microT. Job-related exposure (expressed as the mean of the TWA measured in all workers engaged in that job) was highest in substation electric power plant workers (1.12 microT) and in sewing machine workers (0.84 microT), but was lower than 0.2 microT in more than the 70% of the examined jobs. Considering the geometric mean of individual TWA are 27 out of 28 the jobs inducing an exposure lower than 0.2 microT. The lowest exposure was observed in infant school teachers. A high variability was observed among different workers engaged in the same occupation, mainly in substation electric power plant workers, machine testers and grinders in the engineering industry and in sewing machine workers and quality control in garment production. A marked variability of the pattern of exposure during the work-shift was also observed The overall environmental (non-occupational) exposure was 0.044 microT, and individual exposure was lower than 0.2 microT in about 97% of the examined subjects. Occupational exposure was usually higher and was not correlated with environmental exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the occupational component of overall exposure must be considered in studies on the biological effects of ELF-MF in populations. The high variability observed among workers engaged in the same occupation and the variability of the pattern of exposure certainly constitute major problems and could be a cause of the scarce coherence of the results of epidemiological studies on biological effects of ELF-MF to date. An improvement in protocols for the evaluation of exposure in workers, including the use of personal monitoring, is certainly needed.

[Progress of studies promoted by the MODS collaborative group]. / Fase di avanzamento degli studi promossi dal gruppo collaborativo MODS.

In industrialised countries, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is considered an epidemic work-related disease. We have set up the MODS (Malattie Occupazionali Da Sovraccarico biomeccanico, biomechanical overload-related occupational diseases) collaborative group, formed by epidemiologists, ergonomists and occupational physicians to investigate CTS in Italy, applying the methods that epidemiologists commonly use to understand epidemics. Several studies are already ongoing. Two different descriptive studies based on current hospitalisation data are in the reporting phase. A pilot case-control multicentre study (260 cases and 520 controls in 13 centres) is in the final phase of data collection. A longitudinal study on a cohort of 3000 subjects exposed to different risk factors has reached the third year of follow-up. Moreover, a surveillance system has been set up to cover selected districts of the Emilia Romagna region. These studies will generate new information about the prevalence and incidence of CTS in Italy, along with identification of regional, high-risk job titles and work sectors, and the relative influence of non-occupational factors.

[Repetitive movement of the upper limbs: results of a current exposure evaluation and a clinical investigation in workers employed in the preparation of pork meat in the province of Modena]. / Movimenti ripetitivi degli arti superiori: risultati della valutazione dell'esposizione attuale e dell'indagine clinica negli addetti ad un reparto di lavorazione di carni suine del modenese.

Exposure assessment tests were undertaken to measure the biomechanical overload factors affecting the upper limbs. The tests were carried out on a group of 86 workers employed on the cutting, boning and trimming line of a pork meat processing plant. Anamnestic screening and clinical tests targeted at correlated disorders were also performed and were followed by instrumental tests. The results are reported with respect to frequency of repetitive technical actions, degree of muscular involvement, postural risk, several complementary factors and distribution of recovery periods. The clinical investigation showed a high prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome, tendon disorders of the hand and epicondylosis of the elbow, in addition to other disorders. The report confirms the presence of additional risks for the workers, both in the past and under present circumstances, and suitable preventive measures are formulated.