OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of applying two educational programs (one using a self-instructional approach and the other using a traditional approach similar to educational workshops), on the perceived frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in 94 office workers in a public company. The participants were divided into three groups through simple randomized sampling with no replacement. The first group (32 employees) underwent a traditional/workshop program, the second (28) used a self-instructional manual and the third (34) was a control group. The frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms was measured by means of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, at the beginning of the program and 30 days after its completion. The statistical analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, a nonparametric analysis of variance technique for a repeated measure model in three independent groups and the Goodman test. RESULTS: From the data collected in pre and post-test comparisons, it was observed that the traditional/workshop educational program significantly reduced the frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms over the final seven days. For the self-instructional manual group and control group, no difference was observed in the frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: It could be concluded that the interventions, particularly the traditional approach using educational workshops, had a positive effect on the individuals' actions. Despite the complexity of some of the preventive measures needed, there was a reduction in musculoskeletal symptoms of the participants during work.

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