[An anamnestic-observational estimation of the postural-energy-motor commitment of occupational activities via a...

A simple questionnaire for the quali-quantitative clinical assessment of the physical requirements in habitual occupational activities has been fixed. The assessment goes through the classification of qualitative, dimensional, temporal parameters referred by the patient as characteristic of the occupational activity. As a result the risk factors related to postures and movements are highlighted, and an esteem of the energy expenditure is obtained from a predictive equation which has been formulated on the basis of some important references. The energy expenditure of three homogeneous occupational phases was estimated through the equation, and then measured during a simulation of the same activities performed in a laboratory by 7 subjects. The estimated and the measured values were compared also with the esteems obtained from validated predictive equations (Garg et al, 1978). The predictivity of our equation was measured. As an on-site assessment, detailed written reports of 18 occupational phases were submitted to 6 differently trained observers and were analyzed through the questionnaire; the variability inter-observer was studied.