Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
Estimate the Cognitive Load Using Electrocardiographic Measure: A Human-AI Collaborative Task
Published on: December 5, 2025
Can a single-item measure assess physical load at work? An analysis from the GAZEL cohort
Erika L Sabbath1, Marcel Goldberg, Qiong Wu
1Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Objective:
The assessment of workplace physical load is highly resource intensive. This study tested whether a single-item measure asking individuals about perceived physical strain (PPS) at work was an acceptable proxy for physical load.
Methods:
The study was conducted in a subset of the GAZEL cohort (n = 2612) undergoing assessment of exposure to 38 occupational biomechanical constraints (representing eight domains) in 1994. Test-retest reliability analyses compared PPS in 1994 and 1995. Validity analyses compared PPS in 1994 to concurrent strains assessed in the more extensive measure.
Results:
The measure showed adequate test-retest reliability. Within and across domains of physical load, linear relationships (P < 0.0001) existed between n exposures and PPS. Domains considered more strenuous (carrying loads, pulling objects) showed the highest PPS.
Conclusions:
Perceived physical strain approximates physical load in the absence of detailed measures. Perceived physical strain could be used in nonoccupational epidemiologic studies.
