Analysis of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) using expert ratings of job categories.

Background: Few epidemiologic studies have addressed the exposure-response relationships between work activities and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). This analysis used data from a national survey and ergonomists' ratings to address this issue.

Methods: Interview and knee X-ray data were obtained from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Development and evaluation of an observational method for assessing repetition in hand tasks.

Several physical stressors, including repetitive, sustained, and forceful exertions, awkward postures, localized mechanical stress, highly dynamic movements, exposures to low temperatures, and vibration have been linked to increased risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Repetitive exertions have been among the most widely studied of these stressors, but there is no single metric for assessing exposure to repetitive work. A new methodology enables repetitive hand activity to be rated based on observable characteristics of manual work.