COMPUTERIZED EXERCISE PROGRAM DOES NOT AFFECT STRESS LEVELS OF ASYMPTOMATIC VDT USERS

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a computerized exer cise program could reduce stress levels in office workers who use vide o display terminals (VDTs). Fifty workers were randomly assigned to ei ther an exercise or a control group. Twenty-four subjects were instruc ted to exercise twice a day for 15 minutes per session for a period of 8 weeks; the remaining 26 subjects in the control group were given no exercise program. Four dimensions of stress were measured before and after the exercise period using the Personal Strain Questionnaire (PSQ ) a self-reported measure of physical and psychologically stress. A mu ltivariate T-test (Hotelling's T-2) was used to compare changes in str ess levels between the two groups of workers, but no significant diffe rences were found. Further analysis of the exercise group revealed tha t difference in compliance rates among workers did not significantly i nfluence changes in stress levels These results indicate that this typ e of exercise program does not reduce stress in asymptomatic VDT users .