A Longitudinal Study of Work Characteristics and Health Complaints Among Insurance Employees in VDT Work

Employees using visual display terminals (VDI) in their work in the head office and branch offices of a Finnish insurance company were followed for 8 years. Their job satisfaction and health complaints were studied in relation to VDT-use characteristics and job demands and stressors. A total of 144 employees participated 3 times in a questionnaire survey: in 1985 before a major change was implemented m the data system used just after its implementation in 1987, and later after the gradual increase of VDT application and enlargement of the data system in 1993. Most of the employees were women (65%) in customer service work. The original group of 477 decreased to these 144 employees during the follow-up due to employees leaving the company, moving to other departments, retiring, and nonresponding. The dropouts did not differ considerably from the retainees in the central variables of the study. The follow-up results showed an increase in the daily amount of VDT work and a better mastering of VDT application...