Differences in Posture, Neck Angle, and Body Discomfort During Various Electronic Device Usage with Virtual Classroom

Area of Science:

• Ergonomics and Human Factors
• Digital Health
• Musculoskeletal Health

Background:

• Prolonged virtual classroom use impacts student posture and comfort.
• Sustained static positions, not just incorrect ones, cause musculoskeletal strain.
• Limited research compares device-specific effects on posture and discomfort in virtual settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare posture, neck angle, and body discomfort in female students using smartphones, tablets, and notebooks for 20 minutes in virtual classrooms.
• To investigate the impact of different electronic devices on physical strain during online learning.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-four female university students participated in three randomized 20-minute virtual classroom sessions.
• Posture assessed via Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), neck angle by motion analysis, and discomfort via visual analog scale (VAS).
• Repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction used for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in posture (RULA scores) and body discomfort (VAS) were found across devices (p < 0.05).
• Notebooks showed the best posture, while smartphones induced the greatest neck flexion and discomfort.
• All devices led to increased discomfort after 20 minutes of sustained use.

Conclusions:

• Sustained virtual classroom posture increases neck deviation and discomfort, influenced by device type.
• Postural variability and active breaks are essential for mitigating musculoskeletal strain in technology-based learning.
• Findings emphasize the need for ergonomic interventions beyond just maintaining a 'correct' posture.