Affiliations: Department of Psychology, University of Houston,
Houston, TX, USA | School of Public Health Assoc. Director for Education,
Training and Leadership Development, Texas Institute for Society and Health,
TX, USA | Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy,
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Lacey L. Schmidt, 2111 Holly Hall
#3904, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77054, USA. Tel.: +1 713 383 6738;
Fax: +1 713 743 8588; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Millions of workers suffer from upper extremity (musculoskeletal)
disorders. Many of these workers are predisposed to upper extremity
musculoskeletal disorders because of early exposure to ergonomic risks as
students. Computer usage for four or more hours remains the greatest risk for
upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders for workers and students alike.
Developing preventative methods to reduce student exposure, and thus protect
future workers from upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders later in life,
requires an appropriate measure for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder
prevalence and related limitations for student functioning. Item response
theory analysis was used to evaluate and further develop a upper extremity
functioning scale for the student role.
