title: Do ergonomically designed school workstations decrease musculoskeletal symptoms in children? A 26-month prospective follow-up study.
abstract: Workstations at school are among several factors that contribute to musculoskeletal symptoms among school-aged children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ergonomically designed workstations on schoolchildren's musculoskeletal symptoms as compared to conventional workstations. In the first 14-month phase of the study (2002-2003, two schools), 42 from the intervention and 46 from the control school participated. In the total follow-up of 26 months (2002-2004), 23 in the intervention group and 20 in the control group participated. Anthropometrics and musculoskeletal symptoms were measured. In general, the ergonomically designed school workstations did not decrease present neck-shoulder, upper back, low back and lower limbs strain and pain, compared to conventional ones during follow-ups.
authors.affiliation: Tampere School of Public Health, FIN-33014 University of Tampere, Finland. lea.saarni@uta.fi
authors.forename: Lea A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Saarni
authors.forename: Arja H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Rimpelä
authors.forename: Tapio H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Nummi
authors.forename: Anneli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaukiainen
authors.forename: Jouko J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Salminen
authors.forename: Clas-Håkan
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Nygård
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings; D008297:Male; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires