Related Experiment Videos
Upper extremity pain and computer use among engineering graduate students.
Eric B Schlossberg1, Sandra Morrow, Augusto E Llosa
1University Health Services, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94804, USA.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
|August 13, 2004
Summary
Engineering graduate students frequently experience upper extremity and neck pain from computer use. Female gender, longer computer use duration, and weekly hours significantly correlate with this pain.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Ergonomics
- Public Health
Background:
- Persistent or recurrent upper extremity and neck pain is a significant issue among graduate students.
- Computer use is a suspected contributing factor to this pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify risk factors for persistent or recurrent upper extremity and neck pain.
- To investigate pain prevalence in engineering graduate students.
Main Methods:
- A random sample of 206 Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) graduate students participated.
- An online questionnaire was used to collect data on pain and computer use.
Main Results:
- Approximately 60% of students reported upper extremity or neck pain linked to computer use.
- Mean pain severity was 4.5 (scale 0-10).
- Female gender, years of computer use, and weekly hours of computer use were significant risk factors.
Conclusions:
- High prevalence of pain indicates a public health concern.
- Further research is needed to develop effective interventions.
- Reducing symptom severity and preventing impairment are key goals.