Upper extremity pain and computer use among engineering graduate students

Schlossberg, Eric B.; Morrow, Sandra; Llosa, Augusto E.; Mamary, Edward M.; Dietrich, Peter S.; Rempel, David

doi:10.1002/ajim.20071

Cited by 55 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…Several studies among college students have noted a female preponderance in the prevalence of MSDs 6,7,14,17 . However, no significant sexual differences were observed in all three domains of this study (i.e point-, period-prevalence and severity).…”

Section: African Health Sciences Vol 15 Issue 2 June 2015mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are a major cause of severe long-term pain and disability 1,2 , productivity loss 3 and reduced quality of life 4,5 which can lead to reduced educational attainment among students. In recent years, MSDs have emerged as a public health problem among college students, with the estimated prevalence rate varying between 32.9% and 89.3% in different parts of the world [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] . Factors such as computer usage [10][11][12][13]17 , female sex 6,7,14,17 , lack of regular exercise 13,18 and psychosocial stress and mental pressure 6,15 have been associated with increased prevalence of MSDs among this population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Musculoskeletal disorders among first-year Ghanaian students in a nursing college

Abledu¹,

Offei²

2015

Afr H. Sci.

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Abstract:Objective: To estimate the prevalence and extent of MSDs among a sample of freshmen in a nursing college in Ghana. Methods: A semi-structured self-reported questionnaire including the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was used to collect information on age, gender and musculoskeletal complaints among a random sample of 200 students at a nursing and midwifery college in the Eastern region of Ghana. Results: Out of the 200 questionnaires administered, 160 were retrieved of which 3 were found to be incomplete and void, yielding a total of 157 evaluable questionnaires, a response rate of 78.5%. One hundred and ten (70.1%) students reported having MSDs in the previous 12 months, of which a total 88 (56.1%) suffered disabling effects, while 70(44.6%) students reported having MSDs in the past 7 days. The prevalence of MSDs in the different body regions was generally low with clustered distribution in the neck, upper back, wrists/hands and lower back. Conclusion: Nursing students are at reasonably high risk of MSDs. Strategies to prevent this important public health problem amongst future generation of nursing students must be given utmost priority. This study provides the baseline data for more elaborative studies in the Ghanaian population.

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Section: African Health Sciences Vol 15 Issue 2 June 2015mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musculoskeletal disorders among first-year Ghanaian students in a nursing college

Abledu¹,

Offei²

2015

Afr H. Sci.

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“…Schlossberg, Morrow, Llosa 16 and Shantakumari, Eldeeb, Sreedharan 17 mention that improper ergonomics manifest even before students reach graduation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time and space dimensions of computer laptop use amongst third year students of the University of the Free State

Hough

Nel

2016

S. Afr. j. occup. ther

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Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2310-3833/2016/v46n1a7 South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2016 46 (1): 27-32. ISSN On-line 2310-3833 INTRODUCTIONTechnology is an undeniable and crucial part of modern day living 1,2 . The demands and burdens of this fast-paced lifestyle can be made lighter with the aid of quick access provided by portable devices such as laptops. Bowman, Braswell, and Cohan 3 stated that computer usage has shifted in the last decade from desktops to laptops, especially among college and graduate students.In a study amongst 154 college students, Chang and colleagues found that 88% of the population in the United States of America owned a laptop and that a growing number of students prefer to make use of laptop computers instead of desktop computers 4 . . This finding is supported by the Pew Research Centre and the American Life Project who indicated that 88% of undergraduate college students made use of laptops in 2010 5. Results from these studies confirmed that, due to the convenient size and portability, the laptop was, second to the smartphone, the preferred choice of all technological devices amongst students. No previous studies were done in the South African context on the use of laptops amongst university students. Within the Student Computers and Networks (SCAN) initiative, the University of the Free State joined forces with twelve other universities to implement the "Student Laptop Initiative" 6 . The aim of this project is to provide a laptop to every first-year student who registers at the University of the Free State. Evidence from literature indicates concern regarding the effects that laptop use has on the human body 8 . Straker, O'Sullivan, Smith 9 and Gold, Driban and Yingling 10 investigated the deviation from ideal posture associated with laptop use and confirmed the positive relation between the use of laptops and the compromising effects on the human body, such as musculo-skeletal disorders (MSD's). Although assuming an awkward posture is known to put laptop users at high risk of MSDs, other risk factors must also be considered, such as working over a prolonged period of time, having insufficient rests in between work sessions, and maintaining a static work posture 11 . From an occupational performance perspective, the study reported in this paper focussed on the components of time and space when students use laptop computers, as these components are still under-reported in the research domain. Pierce 12 classifies these components as temporal and spatial dimensions within the context of occupational participation.Important dimensions of the spatial context of occupation include the objects that a person uses, as well as the conceptualisation of spaces in which occupation takes place. The design of the current laptop computers have a screen attached to the keyboard. This design presents a severe restriction to the user in choosing a comfortable position to work from. Laptop use encourages postural mal-alignment such as forward flexion of the neck and hea...

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“…Laptop computers are ideal for student use because of their small size and portability. A questionnaire administered by Schlossberg et al (2004) revealed that 34% of first year graduate students report using a computer for greater than 40 hours per week, and 80% use their computer for greater than 20 hours per week. The proportion of students using a computer to the same extent in their fifth year of graduate study increased to 56% and 95% respectively.…”

Section: Risk Factors Associated With Laptop Computer Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…consequently, musculoskeletal discomfort associated with computer use is widespread in college students, with over 50% reporting some form of discomfort (Jenkins et al, 2007;Schlossberg et al, 2004). These factors make college students a particularly important population to examine in terms of understanding the risks and attempting to find solutions.…”

Section: Current Directionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postural Risks Associated with Laptop Use on a Bed

Bubric

2014

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual

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This study consists of a survey and experiment to identify the postural risks associated with laptop use in non-traditional work settings. The survey gauged the prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort among 186 college students, and also identified the configurations in which male and female students most frequently use laptop computers. Previous work suggests that females report a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort associated with laptop use than males, and the results of the survey confirmed this, but only for neck and shoulder discomfort. Differences in how males and females reported working were also revealed, with females more likely to use a laptop positioned on the lap and also while sitting with their legs crossed. Males, on the other hand, were more likely to report using a laptop while sitting in positions that required large trunk deviations, such as bending over a coffee table or to the side.The experiment, which was based on the survey findings, explored the reasons why females reported experiencing more frequent neck and shoulder discomfort when using a laptop than did males. It was hypothesized that this was because females use laptop computers more frequently in deviated postures. Three configurations that females reported working in more frequently than males in the survey were selected for testing, each within the context of a bed/mattress. Postural analysis and discomfort data was collected for 36 participants (18 males, 18 females) performing a 25-minute typing task in each of the three conditions to determine whether these configurations placed the participants in highly deviated postures. Gender comparisons of postural deviation and self-reported discomfort ratings after completion of a typing task in each position were made.Both male and female participants reported very low levels of discomfort in each of the three conditions, and there was no significant gender difference. Participants displayed highly deviated postures, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and wrists, in all three conditions and there were few gender differences. Any gender differences that were discovered were not consistently in favor of one gender. Males had a slight tendency to work in more deviated postures than females, however both genders were in undesirable postures for much of the experiment.It is most likely that any increased prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort in females compared to males is due to their choice of working configuration, rather than inherent differences in posture. However, there are a number of other factors that may account for any gender differences in musculoskeletal discomfort, including the finding that females report spending more hours per week using a computer. Further study to identify the contribution of each factor, both in males and females, would be valuable in order to understand the impact that working configuration has on musculoskeletal discomfort and injury i BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Katherine Bubric was born in Calgary, Alberta, where she received a ...

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Upper extremity pain and computer use among engineering graduate students

Abstract: Background: The objective of this study was to investigate risk factors associated with

Cited by 55 publications

References 6 publications

Musculoskeletal disorders among first-year Ghanaian students in a nursing college

Musculoskeletal disorders among first-year Ghanaian students in a nursing college

Time and space dimensions of computer laptop use amongst third year students of the University of the Free State

Postural Risks Associated with Laptop Use on a Bed

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