The 'doetinchem' project on aging, physical work demands and musculoskeletal complaints

摘要

In this paper, the results of the 'Doetinchem' project as carried out in the Netherlands were reported. Main objective of this project was to clarify the relationship between age, physical work demands, and musculoskeletal complaints. Cross-sectional and follow up analyses were carried out on a large data set of 70,000 questionnaire on work and health from Periodical Occupational Health Surveys. The results from the various epidemiological studies provided strong evidence for an association between age and musculoskeletal complaints among employees in physically demanding work. The development and implementation of an age-conscious social policy in companies is proposed.