Risk factors for non-specific neck pain among video display terminal workers: a systematic review of prospective cohort studies

Objective The purpose of this study was to gain insight into risk factors for the development of non-specific neck pain(NNP) of video display terminal(VDT) workers,and to provide scientific basis for prevention and control of these factors. Methods The research papers were systematically searched in several databases by the way of systematic review. Twenty one items were used to evaluate the comprehensive quality,including the internal validity evaluation (eleven items)and descriptive research quality evaluation(ten items). Relevant studies were retrieved and assessed for methodological quality by two independent reviewers. Results A total of 16 relevant studies were retrieved,but only nine of them met the standards,including seven high-quality and two low-quality prospective cohort studies. The NNP risk factors of VDT workers could be divided into three categories:individual characteristics,work characteristics and work related psychological factors. There was strong evidence that the female, the previous history of NNP disease,the difficulty of the work,and muscle tension were predictors of the onset of NNP. Interestingly,a large number of factors that had been mentioned in the literature as risk factors for neck pain,such as the keyboard operation time,the cognition of the equipment location in the office,and social support,were found no predictive value for future neck pain in office workers. In addition,there was moderate evidence that physical exercise and mental pressure were not related to NNP. Conclusion The systematic review of prospective cohort studies could find the predictors of the onset of NNP, and to provide scientific basis for prevention and control of the onset of NNP. But some factors were not finally confirmed in this study.