How common is repetitive strain injury?

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology
• Public Health Statistics

Background:

• Labour Force Surveys are a primary source for occupational illness data in Europe.
• Attribution of illness to work relies on individual beliefs, which may be unreliable.
• Previous research suggests potential for error in self-reported work-associated health problems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the potential for error in self-reported work-associated arm pain.
• To compare subjective attribution of arm pain to work with objective exposure data.
• To evaluate the validity of using self-reported data for occupational health policy.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to working-aged adults in Britain to collect data on occupational activities, arm pain, and beliefs about causation.
• Exposure to "arm-straining" occupational activity was derived from self-reported job tasks.
• Relative risk (RR) and population attributable fraction (PAF) were calculated for arm-straining activity.

Main Results:

• Arm pain was more common in those exposed to arm-straining activities (RR 1.2).
• A significant discrepancy was found: 53.9% of cases reported work-associated arm pain, versus a calculated PAF of 13.9% for arm-straining activity.
• Higher ratios of reported to attributable cases were observed in younger individuals and those with poorer self-rated or mental health.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported work-associated arm pain substantially overestimates the true burden of occupational illness.
• The findings question the reliability of Labour Force Survey data for evaluating European occupational health strategies.
• Policy decisions based on self-reported occupational illness may require re-evaluation.