Work : a journal of prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation
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Schoolchildren spend much of their day sitting in classroom furniture that is often too large or too small. To assess the impact of the size and fit of school furniture on the sitting and task behaviors of schoolchildren, 63 fourth-graders were observed while seated in 2 different sizes, types, and arrangements of furniture in their classroom. A correlated group design was used to compare the sitting and task behaviors of the students while seated in their traditional classroom furniture consisting of tables and chairs, and while sitting in smaller, appropriately sized desks and chairs, arranged in clusters and then in rows. ⋯ There was no difference in sitting and task behaviors with the new furniture arranged in clusters compared to rows. Girls showed a slightly greater improvement compared to boys, and there was a significant correlation between better sitting positions and being on-task (r = 0.549, p<0.01). These findings indicate that students would likely benefit from sitting in smaller furniture that fits their size better.
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This study assessed the item validity of 15 of the physical demands from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), as evaluated in a new approach to functional capacity evaluation (FCE) for clients with chronic back pain, the Gibson Approach to FCE (GAPP FCE). Fifty-two occupational therapists were sent the specifications of the items in the GAPP FCE procedures and were asked to rate the items in terms of item-objective congruence, relevance and difficulty. A response rate of 59.2% was obtained. ⋯ The evaluation of Balancing and the Lifting, Carrying and Pushing and Pulling of loads greater than light-medium weight (10-16 kg) were not considered significantly relevant. Concerns were raised about the difficulty and safety of the evaluation of Lifting, Carrying and Pushing and Pulling with clients with chronic back pain, particularly if the therapist evaluates the manual handling of medium to heavy loads. These results may have implications for other FCEs, particularly those which are based on the DOT, or when assessing clients with chronic back pain.
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The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effectiveness of a four-week work rehabilitation program. ⋯ The program was shown to be effective as measured by the post-test improvements in all 6 performance tests. Although more research is warranted into the effectiveness of treatment for clients with chronic pain, it appears that there is a relationship between pain and physical performance and pain and depression in clients completing a work hardening program.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of computer-related musculoskeletal complaints in female college students. This research also explored whether the number of hours per day spent using a computer, type of computer used (laptop vs. desktop), or academic major was related to the presence of musculoskeletal complaints. Additionally, "job strain", a measure of job stress which can affect the physical health of an individual, was measured to determine whether students feel stress from the job of "student" and if so, whether it contributed to these complaints. ⋯ The majority of female college students in this study reported musculoskeletal discomfort during or after computer use. Although a statistical correlation could not be made, students using laptop computers reported a higher incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms than those using desktop computers. Additionally, female college students did not seem to experience job strain. Future research should continue on larger, more diverse samples of students to better understand the prevalence and contributors of musculoskeletal complaints, how college students experience job strain (stress), and whether these two factors are related.