Ergonomics of E-Learning Workstations and the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders—Study among University Students

Magdalena Janc, Zbigniew Jozwiak, Agnieszka Jankowska, Teresa Makowiec-Dabrowska, Jolanta Kujawa and Kinga Polanska ()
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Magdalena Janc: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM), 91-348 Lodz, Poland
Zbigniew Jozwiak: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM), 91-348 Lodz, Poland
Agnieszka Jankowska: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM), 91-348 Lodz, Poland
Teresa Makowiec-Dabrowska: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM), 91-348 Lodz, Poland
Jolanta Kujawa: Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland
Kinga Polanska: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM), 91-348 Lodz, Poland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-10

Abstract: The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) has increased significantly in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a fundamental change in the lifestyles, ways of learning and working patterns of the general population, which in turn, might lead to health consequences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the conditions of e-learning and the impact of the learning modality on the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms among university students in Poland. This cross-sectional study included 914 students who completed an anonymous questionnaire. The questions covered two time periods (before and during the COVID-19 pandemic) and were aimed at obtaining information about lifestyle (including physical activity using the modified International Physical Activity Questionnaire, 2007 (IPAQ), perceived stress and sleep patterns), the ergonomics of computer workstations (by Rapid Office Strain Assessment, 2012 (ROSA) method), the incidence and severity of musculoskeletal symptoms (by the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, 2018 (NMQ)) and headaches. The main differences between the two periods were statistically significant according to the Wilcoxon test in terms of physical activity, computer use time, and severity of headaches. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant increase in MSD (68.2% vs. 74.6%) and their intensity (2.83 ± 2.36 vs. 3.50 ± 2.79 points) among the student population ( p < 0.001). In the group of students with MSD, there was a high musculoskeletal load, due to the lack of ergonomic remote learning workstations. In future, a thorough study should be carried out, and there is an urgent need to raise students’ awareness of arranging learning workstations according to ergonomic principles in order to prevent the occurrence of musculoskeletal problems.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; ergonomic; musculoskeletal symptoms; remote learning; ROSA method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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