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Exploring time‐dependent symptom outcomes in office staff
Author(s) -
Lu Xiaoshu,
Toivonen Risto,
Takala EsaPekka
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
human factors and ergonomics in manufacturing and service industries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.408
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1520-6564
pISSN - 1090-8471
DOI - 10.1002/hfm.20151
Subject(s) - shoulders , office workers , work (physics) , computer mouse , physical therapy , population , physical medicine and rehabilitation , medicine , computer science , simulation , psychology , applied psychology , operations management , human–computer interaction , engineering , surgery , environmental health , mechanical engineering
This article illustrates the application of a new mathematical model developed for the study of time‐dependent health outcomes for office staff during computer work. The model describes the time‐dependent associations of computer usage with outcomes expressed as discomfort in multiple body regions. The association is explicitly presented with a functional relationship that is parameterized by body regions. The validation of the model demonstrated accuracy in reproducing the observed quantities for the study population. Therefore, we used this model to assess the impact of computer‐related work exposure on discomfort in different body regions among office staff to better understand the behavior of musculoskeletal and other symptoms. The exposures and outcomes were recorded parallel in time as usage of keyboard and mouse and with diaries of discomfort. The body regions of neck/shoulders, eyes, head, shoulder joint/upper arm, and upper back were identified to have the highest discomfort levels and rates for the development of discomfort parallel with exposures. Most of our findings are consistent with the literature. The developed mathematical methodology may be used to understand how the human body reacts to computer work to further prevent potential musculoskeletal and other disorders. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.