Exercise Intervention for Health Research Group (EXINH-RG), Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
National Research Centre for the Working Environment, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 10;18(4):1722. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041722.
The Work Ability Index (WAI) is a validated and widely used tool in occupational research. However, normative values for physical therapists (PTs) by age and sex are lacking. Although the nature of PTs' work is physically demanding, it is unknown whether muscular fitness is associated with their WAI. This study sought to provide reference WAI data for Spanish PTs and to evaluate the association between PTs' muscular fitness and WAI. Data on WAI of 1005 PTs were collected using a questionnaire. A subgroup ( = 68) performed a battery of physical tests including grip strength, push-ups and back-extension endurance. Associations between muscular fitness and WAI were evaluated using logistic regression controlling for various confounders. PTs aged 50 years or older had lower WAI scores than their younger counterparts. PTs with high back-extension endurance scored 3.5 (95% CI) higher in the WAI than those with low endurance. No associations were found between grip strength or number of push-ups and WAI. Our findings seem to highlight the importance of muscular fitness in PTs, especially the back-extension endurance.
工作能力指数（WAI）是职业研究中经过验证和广泛使用的工具。然而，缺乏按年龄和性别划分的物理治疗师（PT）的正常值。尽管 PT 的工作性质对体力要求很高，但尚不清楚肌肉力量是否与他们的 WAI 相关。本研究旨在为西班牙 PT 提供参考 WAI 数据，并评估 PT 肌肉力量与 WAI 之间的关系。使用问卷收集了 1005 名 PT 的 WAI 数据。一个亚组（n=68）进行了一系列体能测试，包括握力、俯卧撑和背部伸展耐力。使用逻辑回归控制各种混杂因素后，评估了肌肉力量与 WAI 之间的关联。50 岁或以上的 PT 的 WAI 评分低于年轻的同行。背部伸展耐力高的 PT 在 WAI 中的得分比耐力低的 PT 高 3.5（95%CI）。握力或俯卧撑次数与 WAI 之间没有关联。我们的研究结果似乎强调了肌肉力量在 PT 中的重要性，尤其是背部伸展耐力。
