MINNEAPOLIS, June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at the Office Ergonomics Research Committee (OERC) Marconi conference reported that students who reported frequently assuming awkward postures when working with a computer, were, compared to other students, more likely to report musculoskeletal discomfort in several body regions, including the eyes, neck, and back. Dr. Carolyn Sommerich, of The Ohio State University, recommends that, "Similar to the recommendations provided to adults, children should be encouraged to take periodic breaks from any computer they use, in order to give eyes and other body parts a break from sustained, and sometimes awkward postures adopted while using the computer." Sommerich, who is studying computer usage among high school juniors and seniors in a high school with a well-developed technology program, found that 92% of the participants reported using a Tablet PC "daily or almost every day." A sample of 13 students who used special software to monitor their daily computer use averaged about 1.7 hours of active computer use (e.g., mousing and keying) per day.
Dr. Karen Jacobs, of Boston University, who has been studying notebook computer usage among seventh- and eighth-grade students in Maine, used similar software to monitor average daily computer use and found it to range between 3 to 5.5 hours per week. Jacobs reported that ergonomics training, which included recommendations for desirable postures, information on breaking up long periods of computer use, and the use of auxiliary keyboards and mice, was effective at improving students' computing work habits.
Adele Diepenmaat, an epidemiologist with the Municipal Health Service of Amsterdam, Netherlands, has also been studying musculoskeletal discomfort lasting four or more days per month, which she found to be common among adolescents. In a broad survey of 12-16 year old students (N=3485), Diepenmaat found that, while the students reported computer use ranging between none and more than three hours per day, there did not appear to be a relationship between time spent using computers and musculoskeletal discomfort. Interestingly, students who were physically active, which was defined as at least one hour per day of activity such as biking or swimming, were no more or less likely to experience musculoskeletal discomfort than were less active students. Although Diepenmaat's survey did not assess postures during computer use, it did include questions designed to assess the students' perception of stress and symptoms of depression, both of which were found to be predictive of musculoskeletal discomfort.
About the Office Ergonomics Research Committee (OERC)
The Office Ergonomics Research Committee, Inc. (OERC) is a non-profit organization whose member companies are leaders in the insurance and computer, software, and furniture manufacturing sectors. Established in 1991, it has since played a leading role in funding innovative research in the field of office ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders.
OERC Contact Information:
Tom Albin
OERC Executive Director
(612) 724-6978
talbinus@comcast.net
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Office Ergonomics Research Committee, Inc.
CONTACT: Tom Albin, OERC Executive Director, +1-612-724-6978,
talbinus@comcast.net
