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Validity of a questionnaire for assessing occupational activities
L Campbell1, B Pannett, P Egger
1MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, UK.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
|April 1, 1997
Summary
This study found that questionnaires accurately capture major differences in job-related physical activities. However, they are less reliable for quantifying specific tasks like heavy lifting frequency.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Ergonomics
- Survey Methodology
Background:
- Assessing occupational activities is crucial for workplace safety and health.
- Questionnaires are a common tool for data collection on job tasks.
- Understanding the validity of questionnaire data is essential for accurate risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of questionnaire data for occupational activities.
- To compare self-reported activities with direct observation.
- To determine the reliability of questionnaires in distinguishing physical activity levels between jobs.
Main Methods:
- 152 employees across 16 different jobs completed a structured questionnaire on work activities.
- Direct observation of work activities was conducted for workers in 11 of the jobs.
- Agreement analysis was performed between self-reported data and observational data.
Main Results:
- Good agreement was found for most dichotomously classified activities between self-reports and observations.
- Inconsistent reporting was observed for the frequency of heavy lifting.
- Questionnaires effectively differentiate broad physical activity levels across diverse occupations.
Conclusions:
- Questionnaires are valid for identifying significant differences in physical demands between jobs.
- Detailed quantification of specific activities, such as heavy lifting frequency, may be limited with questionnaires.
- Further research may be needed to improve the accuracy of questionnaire-based physical activity assessment.