Work - Volume 34, issue 4

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0938

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 385-386, 2009

Authors: Rice, Valerie J. Berg | Mays, Mary Z. | Gable, Clayton

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: It is important to be aware of the health and injury status of students in military training settings in order to adequately plan for their progression through required physical training and provision of health care to meet their needs. This paper describes the self-reported health status of students arriving in two medical training Battalions at Ft. Sam Houston. The results revealed that 43% of arriving soldiers had musculoskeletal symptoms and 35% had symptoms that interfered with …their ability to accomplish the normal daily activities required as students. The most common sites of symptoms were knee (17 and 18%), foot/toe (16 and 13%), ankle (9 and 10%), and lower leg (9 and 12%) for the 232nd and 187th Medical Battalions respectively. Risk factors for those with musculoskeletal injury (MSI) symptoms that interfere with their abilities to do their jobs include gender, past history of injury, and self-reported stress and fitness levels. Other risk factors for medical specialties other than combat medic include being older (over 24 yrs of age), active duty status, being overweight, and use of smokeless tobacco. This information can help identify soldiers considered at risk of incurring a MSI during AIT. With this knowledge, physical training can be designed to help soldiers achieve fitness without additional injury and health care facilities can be designed to provide appropriate staffing of the health care professionals needed for evaluation and treatment. Show more

Keywords: Musculoskeletal injury, risk factors, screening, stress, fitness

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0939

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 387-400, 2009

Authors: Chaumont Menéndez, Cammie | Amick III, Benjamin C. | (Joe) Chang, Che-Hsu | Dennerlein, Jack T. | Harrist, Ronald B. | Jenkins, Mark | Robertson, Michelle | Katz, Jeffrey N.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Objective: The study examines temporal variations in upper-extremity musculoskeletal symptoms throughout the day, over a week and throughout the semester. Methods: 30 undergraduates were followed in a repeated measures study throughout a semester. Upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms data were collected on handheld computers randomly throughout the day for seven days over three data collection periods. Multilevel statistical models evaluated associations between time-related predictors and symptoms. Results: In adjusted …models, pain reported at baseline was associated with increased odds of experiencing both any symptoms (OR=15.64; 90% CI 7.22–33.88) and moderate or greater symptoms (OR=16.44; 90% CI 4.57–29.99). Any symptoms were less likely to be reported if responses occurred at 58–76 days (OR=0.66; 90% CI 0.49–0.86), 77–90 days (OR=0.29; 90% CI 0.20–0.42) and 91–117 days (OR=0.54; 90% CI 0.39–0.75) into the semester compared to 35–57 days. Similarly, responding after midnight was associated with greater odds of reporting moderate or greater symptoms (OR=21.33; 90% CI 6.49–65.97). There was no association observed for day of week and symptoms. Conclusion: This pilot work suggests upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms exhibit temporal variations related to time of day and days into semester. Understanding the natural history of musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders is needed when designing epidemiologic research and/or intervention studies using symptom outcome measures. Show more

Keywords: Computer use, musculoskeletal symptoms, upper extremity, college student, temporal patterns

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0940

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 401-408, 2009

Authors: Jayaratne, I.L.K. | Fernando, D. N.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Sri Lanka is a resource-poor country in the South-East Asian region with good health indices. Ergonomics of children in educational environments is still novel in the region. An exploration into such issues and dissemination of the scientific evidence will stimulate policy makers in both education and health sector. An important ergonomic issue of the classroom is the seating arrangement. Essential aspects of seating include location of the chair and desk in relation to the …blackboard and features of the chair and desk. Musculoskeletal pain is considered to be the most important negative effect due to mismatched ergonomics. A school-based descriptive cross sectional study was carried out in a district of Sri Lanka to ascertain the distribution of selected ergonomic factors related to seating arrangements in the classroom of school-going early adolescents and to assess their relationship to musculoskeletal pain. A sample of 1607 school children of Grade 6,7 and 8 were selected using stratified multi-stage cluster sampling method. There were 52.1% (N=838) females and 47.9% (N=769) males. Many ergonomic aspects related to classroom seating arrangements are not conducive for children. Children were seated with a mean distance of 398.04 cm (SD=132.09) to the blackboard. Nearly 23% of children had to turn more than 45~degrees to see the blackboard. A prevalence of > 80% mismatch was found between body dimensions of children and measurements of furniture. Musculoskeletal pain may have resulted from efforts to maintain stability while seated in incompatible furniture. Nearly 36% children complained of recurrent musculoskeletal pain. Musculoskeletal pain may have resulted from efforts to maintain stability while seated in incompatible furniture. Mismatched seat depth – buttock-popliteal length posed 1.59 times risk recurrent musculoskeletal pain. Despite, children perceived a good chair comfort. Use of backrest lowered the risk of recurrent pain. Results shows that programme planners can utilize such evidence to provide simple ergonomic solutions at national and school level. Show more

Keywords: Musculoskeletal pain, chair comfort, early adolescents, school health

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0941

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 409-420, 2009

Authors: Chaumont Menéndez, Cammie | Amick III, Benjamin C. | (Joe) Chang, Che-Hsu | Harrist, Ronald B. | Jenkins, Mark | Robertson, Michelle | Janowitz, Ira | Rempel, David M. | Katz, Jeffrey N. | Dennerlein, Jack T.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Objective: To determine agreement between two posture assessment survey instruments and which, if any, were correlated with experiencing upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms. Methods: Thirty undergraduate participants had three postural assessment surveys completed, one each for three separate 7-day data collection periods during a semester. Two observation assessment tools were used, a modified Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (mRULA) for computer users for the right and left limbs and the University of California …Computer Use Checklist. Concurrently, upper extremity musculoskeletal symptom experience paired to each postural assessment was measured. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient evaluated survey agreement and multi-level statistical models described associations between survey responses and symptoms. Results: There was no agreement between the two postural assessment tool scores (p> 0.85). In adjusted models, the UC Computer Use Checklist was positively associated with symptoms occurrence (OR=1.4, 90% CI 1.2–1.6 for any symptoms; OR=1.3, 90% CI 1.0–1.6 for moderate or greater symptoms). Associations with mRULA scores were inconsistent in that they were sometimes protective and sometimes indicators of risk, depending on the covariates included in the models. Conclusion: The mRULA for computer users and the UC Computer Use Checklist were independent of each other; however, due to the inconsistent associations with symptoms we cannot conclude one instrument is superior to the other. Our data do suggest the UC Computer Use Checklist demonstrates a traditional relationship with symptoms, where increasing scores signifiy greater risk. We observed a nontraditional relatioship with symptoms for the mRULA for computer users that needs to be further examined. This is a pilot study and, thus, findings should be interpreted as exploratory. Associations observed in the current study will be used to test hypotheses in the cohort study recently conducted. Show more

Keywords: Computer use, musculoskeletal symptoms, posture, college student

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0942

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 421-430, 2009

Authors: Mukhopadhyay, Prabir

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Two low cost ergonomically designed types of headgear were fabricated for youths working outdoor or exposed to the sun. The prototypes were tested on 11 male subjects. Subjective assessment through questionnaires revealed satisfactory results with head gears. Two dependent variables, discomfort score and forehead skin temperature were recorded. A One-Way repeated measures ANOVA as well as paired t-test, on both parameters showed significant headgear effect (p=0.001). Plots of forehead skin temperature …and discomfort score showed marked decline with the use of headgears, compared to bare head. Show more

Keywords: Ergonomics, heat stress, radiation, protection

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0943

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 431-438, 2009

Authors: Korkmaz, Sahika Vatan | Sommerich, Carolyn M.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: In general, K-12 students have little opportunity to control feedback from the various factors in their educational environments. However, leading theories of human-system interaction suggest participants in a system will perform better if they have some degree of control over their interaction with the design of the system's features. In an effort to provide an added degree of control to students in one high school while also attempting to address concerns about computer use-related musculoskeletal discomfort …in students, an experiment was conducted with the goal of identifying effective means through which students could learn about healthy computing. One group of students (n=8) participated in a knowledge discovery process facilitated by an ergonomist, a second group of students (n=6) participated in a training session conducted by the first group of students, and a third group served as controls (n=7). Results of a comparison of scores for pre- and post-intervention surveys that tested students' abilities to recognize problematic computer use conditions and make appropriate recommendations for change showed an increase for the first and second groups, and no increase in the control group. Another positive sign from the first group was their sustained participation, on their own time, in the learning process over the course of several weeks. Pros and cons of the learning methods are discussed. Show more

Keywords: Educational ergonomics, healthy computing

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0944

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 439-448, 2009

Authors: Siu, Damian Chi Hong | Tse, Lap Ah | Yu, Ignatius Tak Sun | Griffiths, Sian Meryl

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the pattern of computer related activities among Hong Kong adolescents and the prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort by anatomic sites. This study used a questionnaire-based cross-sectional design. Students from Year 1 to 7 of six local high schools were invited to complete a Student Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire and Computer Usage Questionnaire. Complete data for 3,191 questionnaires was obtained, giving an overall response rate of 95.5%. High …prevalence (68.3%) of musculoskeletal discomfort related to using computer was reported among Hong Kong children and adolescents in the past 12 months. Shoulder (37.7%) and neck (35.0%) were the most frequently involved body parts for both genders, while female students reported higher rates of musculoskeletal discomfort in each of the specified anatomic site than male students. Students who reported musculoskeletal discomfort were significantly older and spent a longer time on computer related activities. The associations found in this cross-sectional study should be confirmed by subsequent longitudinal studies. An urgent need in healthy computing environment is demanded among Hong Kong adolescents. Show more

Keywords: Adolescents, computers, pain, prevalence, ergonomics

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0945

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 449-454, 2009

Authors: Brewer, J.M. | Davis, K.G. | Dunning, K.K. | Succop, P.A.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Musculoskeletal pain in school-aged children is highly prevalent. While there are many potential factors relating to this discomfort, one unexplored factor is the ergonomic mismatch. The objective of this study was to determine whether the degree of mismatch between the body dimensions and the classroom furniture was associated with body discomfort. One hundred and thirty-nine children in a Midwestern U.S. school district participated in the study where demographic information, anthropometric measurements, self-reported …regional body discomfort, and furniture measurements were collected. The results indicate an extremely high prevalence of ergonomic mismatch. Contrary to what was hypothesized, the ergonomic mismatch was not associated with body discomfort. The lack of association may have been a result of the extremely high prevalence of ergonomic mismatch as well as potential adaptations by the students. Although almost every student was found to not fit their desk and chairs, ergonomic mismatch had limited impact on the body discomfort. It appears that other factors such as backpack weight and time carrying may contribute more to the discomfort of students. However, caution is stress with regard to dismissing ergonomic mismatch factor as a potential risk factor since the extremely high prevalence may have washed out any effect. Show more

Keywords: School children, musculoskeletal pain, furniture, adolescents, back pain

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0946

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 455-464, 2009

Authors: Rice, Valerie J. | Vu, Tan | Butler, Jenny | Marra, Diane | Merullo, Donna | Banderet, Louis

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: During scholastic or physical performance testing, individuals who fear failure tend to focus on their fears instead of the task and often perform poorly. This study examined the relationship between fear-of-failure (FoF) and performance among 200~students (male=140, female =60) attending Health Care Specialist Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Ft. Sam Houston. Performance measures included grade point average, pass/fail status, Army Physical Fitness Test scores, and number of musculoskeletal injuries. Pearson Product Moment …Correlations revealed that Soldiers who scored higher on a FoF scale also had higher final grades (r=0.16, p=0.02, r^{2} =0.026). No significant correlations were found between FoF and other performance measures. While the variation in GPA accounted for by FoF was small (2.6%), this finding demonstrates a positive relationship that differs from previous studies. This finding may be explained by the concepts of failure avoidance and success orientation (self confidence and motivation), as well as the unique military setting. Suggestions for designing military educational interventions during AIT and throughout one's military career are offered. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0947

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 465-474, 2009

Authors: Rudolf, Michelle | Griffiths, Yolanda

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Ergonomics is a key consideration of a student-learning environment. This paper examines aspects of ergonomics and application to the design of tables in three classrooms at a Midwestern university. Custom tables with power outlets and Internet access via Ethernet data ports were planned for classrooms in 2000 to facilitate a laptop program. However, table height, specifically thigh clearance from the seat to the bottom of the work surface, was not fully considered. The ergonomic analysis …of the classrooms by an occupational therapy student led to the implementation of positive changes to the tables. The enhancement of the learning environment influences student comfort and productivity and can offset the cost of renovating the tables. Show more

Keywords: Classroom ergonomics, workstation ergonomics, sitting ergonomics

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0948

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 475-480, 2009

Authors: Talbott, Nancy R. | Bhattacharya, Amit | Davis, Kermit G. | Shukla, Rakesh | Levin, Linda

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to 1) describe the characteristics of the backpacks used by students 10–18 years of age, 2) describe self reported pain related to backpack use and 3) evaluate the relationship between self reported pain and perceived backpack weight, duration of backpack use and posture when wearing a backpack. A cross-sectional survey of 871 students assessed the features of the backpack carried; the self perceived backpack weight, duration and posture; and any …backpack related pain. Results indicate that 99% of students surveyed carry backpacks, 83% carry their backpacks over both shoulders and the presence of adjustable shoulder straps were the most common feature of the backpacks. Half of the students perceive their backpack as heavy and 46% indicate they carry the backpack 10–20 minutes to and from school. Pain attributed to backpack use was reported by 33.5% of the students. Perceived backpack weight, duration of backpack carriage, posture, gender and school district were significantly associated with reported symptoms. Although other socioeconomic and demographic characteristics may contribute to backpack related pain, this study suggests that students perceive a relationship between backpack use, the duration of use, posture and pain supporting the suggestion that simple weight-based controls of backpacks may not be sufficient to eliminate pain perceived as due to backpack use. Show more

Keywords: Pain, students, posture, back, shoulder, biomechanical load

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0949

Citation: Work, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 481-494, 2009