Ergonomics for Children in Education PDF

ERGONOMICS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT ERGONOMICS LEC. 10 Ass. Prof. Marwa Mahfouz Basic Science  Ergonomics for Children and Youth in the Educational Environment Content - Increase awareness concerning ergonomi...

ERGONOMICS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT ERGONOMICS LEC. 10 Ass. Prof. Marwa Mahfouz Basic Science  Ergonomics for Children and Youth in the Educational Environment Content - Increase awareness concerning ergonomic factors affecting children and youth. - Classroom Environment (Desk, Chair, and Computer screen) - Increase knowledge about ergonomic factors in learning environments and in carrying schoolbags. - Develop basic ergonomics tools for analysis of learning environments and carrying schoolbags.  Introduction Sitting patterns of adults at work, and for all of the right reasons. The positional habits start much earlier than that- children in school. A child needs an ergonomic chair and small adjustable desk just like an adult needs a comfortable workstation. A school is a place far from home where children go to be educated and also to be socialized For fulfilling these purposes, they need to stay at their schools for a long time (on an average of 4 to 6 hours for each day).  While staying at school, in doing different things; - Reading, writing, drawing, - The library, usually sitting at a desk or in front of the computer and - Other related activities, which lead them to sit on their seats constantly for a long time The mismatches between classroom furniture and the users (students) may lead to - Increased pain (low back pain (LBP) and upper back pain) and discomfort and - Increase the risk of musculoskeletal problems among school students.  The mismatches in seat height, seat depth, and desk height occurred for 99% of the students. Also, children carry the environment with them in school backpacks and bags. Lack of ergonomic principles in the Classroom lead to Poor sitting posture negatively affects the musculo- skeletal system Wrong desks and chairs that can negatively impact a child’s sitting pattern. If a desk and a chair restrict movement, then the child is forced to statically sit for long periods of time which can be harmful. On the other hand, if the chair and desk set-up encourages way too much movement then the child is subject to distraction as well as distracting fellow students.  For examples: - In a laboratory setting, showed that all children scored higher on the intelligence test when they were seated in furniture that better suited their body sizes compared to school furniture that was too large. - Also revealed that students between 6 and 7 years old who were seated in furniture that fit them well performed significantly better on an in-hand manipulation test (IMT), compared to those who were seated in furniture that was too big for them.  Classroom Environment  School children are one group of workers  Risk for musculo-skeletal strain related to sitting because of their wide range of body size leading to furniture mismatch, prolonged seated posture.  In the classroom, students do much of their work while sitting - Listening to the teacher - Looking at the blackboard - Copying from the blackboard - Free writing - Doing group work, and more. Performance of these activities affects how children sit (e.g., writing vs. copying from the board).  Seating posture in classroom and time The amount of sitting changes throughout the student’s years at school. For example: -Preschool children are expected to be physically active 73% of the time - Children in the ninth grade move only 19% of the time they are in school. Most of the time (57%) seated was spent leaning forward (for activities such as writing and reading), and rest leaning (such as watching the teacher or the board)  1-HOW SHOULD A CHILD SIT? There is no “wrong” or “right way” for a child to sit as long as there’s movement involved. Very few children will sit in a strict 90-90-90 position in school all day because they are built for movement. As long as be bored or movement do not constantly interrupt academic learning, then educators should be allowing children to move around throughout the school day.  Anthropometric Measurements Anthropometric dimensions are considered as the foundation for designing ergonomically fit classroom furniture. (A) Popliteal height, (B) sitting eye height, (C) sitting height, (D) sitting elbow height, (E) thigh clearance, (F) knee height, (G) buttock knee length, (H) elbow to elbow breadth, (I) hip breadth, (J) sitting shoulder height, (K) sitting lowest rib bone height, (L) sitting upper hip bone height, (M) forearm fingertip length, (N) buttock popliteal length, and (O) stature.  Furniture Measurements Representation of classroom furniture measurements. SD = seat depth, SW = seat width, SH = seat height, DH = desktop height, DW = desktop width, and DD = desktop depth.  Classroom Furniture and Body Dimensions Mismatch Different relations have been established to identify a match or mismatch. The most common relations are described below. 1- Popliteal Height (PH) against Seat Height (SH) The seat height (SH) is required to be balanced popliteal height (PH) and enabling the knee to be flexed so that the lower legs shape a greatest of 30° edge with respect to the vertical. PH ought to be higher than the SH 2- Buttock Popliteal Length (BPL) against Seat Depth (SD) Seat Depth must be no less than 5 cm not as much as the buttock popliteal length. 3. Hip Breadth (HB) against Seat Width (SW) The seat width must be sufficiently extensive to oblige the client with the biggest hip expansiveness 4. Sitting Elbow Height (SEH) against Desk Height (DH) The elbow height is measured as the central point for the work area stature. As the load on the spine decreases, the arms are upheld on the desk and the desk height is liable to the shoulder flexion. 5. Thigh Clearance (TC) against Seat to Desk Clearance (SDC) The minimum perfect seat to desk clearance must be 2 cm higher than thigh clearance ALLOW CHILDREN TO SUCCEED BY CREATING GOOD CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS  Adjustments (Seat, desk, back rest) First things adjust the height of the chair followed by adjusting the height of the desk. The chair height - Should open the angle between the torso and the thighs up to approximately 100 degrees, - So that the back of the knees are comfortably against the front edge and the feet are both flat on the floor. The seat’s backrest - Should fully support the spine all the way up to the area between the shoulder blades. - For the right desk height, place both arms on the desk and adjust until both elbows rest at an angle slightly wider than 90 degrees.  Tilting- recommended angles - To encourage the natural curvature of the spine while seated, the pelvis should be slightly positioned forward. - The backrest should be tilted far back enough to encourage that 100 degree angle RECOMMENDED CHAIRS & DESKS They have dynamic features such as - adjustable height, - adjustable arm rests, - multiple angle settings, - contoured padding, etc Adjustable furniture encourage - muscle movement, - joint range, and - blood flow which provides children with overall comfort, - physical input, and - a ready and willing mindset for learning.  Ergonomic Chair & Desk Sets For Children There are a wide variety of chair and desk sets for children. Static chairs versus chair with wheels Wheels will allow them a bit of freedom to roll back and forth to adjust their posture, or will wheels be too much of a distraction? Angled desk tops: Does your child need to desktop to angle upwards to promote healthy hand and wrist positioning? (Very important for children with reduced fine motor skills or hand strength)  Flexible chairs: dynamic angle between the seat and the backrest in order to promote mild movement Padding: Does your child need padding on the seat, and if so what kind of material? Weight capacity and age limits: Consider that children are subject to random growth spurts, so check the weight capacity and age recommendations of each product. Comfortable workstation setup. A, School. B, Home.  ACTIVE SITTING IN CLASSROOMS Active sitting for adults at work as well as young children in school to combat the dangers of static, lengthy sitting. What it is Active Sitting: the ability to perform micro movements by activating core muscle groups while in a seated position in order to promote physical and mental health benefits. Benefits Of Active Sitting: provided with choices and allowing for customized movement gives young children movement and sensory input allow for movement around the classroom allow for collaboration between the students make children comfortable. When a child is physically uncomfortable, it drastically changes their motivation and ability to learn.  ERGONOMIC SCHOOL BACKPACKS Students don’t just sit, they also carry. Parents, students, teachers, and clinicians have expressed concerns about schoolbags. Problems related to schoolbags include - The weight of the bag, - How it is packed - How it is carried - The risk factors associated with schoolbag use Provide recommendations to reduce these factors. Overall, backpacks are very helpful for children in order to carry school supplies while keeping their arms and hands available for other things.  The Dangers However, backpacks can present a real danger for children 1- Children report discomfort 2- Aches, and pain in their neck, shoulders, and back associated with carrying a heavy schoolbag. 3- Muscle weakness 4- Tingling in the arms 5- Stooped posture Or postural constraint leading to stressful accommodation affecting the musculoskeletal system in the short run; and long-term or developmental impacts on the spine. 6- Headaches associated with carrying a heavy schoolbag. 7- Signs are reported at the shoulder girdle, caused by the bag’s straps, or at the palms in cases of carrying a trolley.  How much should they carry? At the very most, a child should be only carrying 10% to15% of their body weight. This includes any lunch boxes or musical instruments that they are carrying outside of their backpack at the same time. For example, if Timmy weighs 85 pounds, he should only be collectively carrying just under 13 pounds.  Controls On examination of the schoolbag design, we should have a look at three components 1- The back of the bag - Should be firm and padded. - It should prevent or reduce the pressure on the child’s back. - The level of the bag should be adjusted to the child’s back. 2- The straps should be padded and adjustable. 3- The bag handles Should be smooth and comfortable for handling, without any rough edges or sharp angles.  The bag size is another element of the engineering controls. According to SIL the size of the bag should be as follows: - Height: 40 ± 2 cm (16 ± 3/4in), -Width 29 ± 1 cm (11 ± 1/2in). - If there is a waist or hip belt, it should be at least 50 mm (2 in) wide. - The straps should be 30 mm (1 1/4in) wide or more. - Lightweight materials are preferred. - However, as with all standards-based recommendations, these suit only a segment of the population. The actual size, age, and body linkage dimensions of each child must be considered.  How to control bag weight? Rather than carrying large books every day, it is recommended that books and files be organized not as one unit but in subunits. Homework should be given in separate sheets, so students will bring only the papers they need. Having books and assignments on computer disks or using websites and e-mail can reduce excess weight. Other solutions can be tailored to each school, such as using drawers and lockers that will allow students to leave part of their school books, equipment, or tools at school. Another attempt to diminish the effect of schoolbag weight on children is having two sets of books: one for home use and another at school. This requires financial resources that might not be applicable to every setting and school system.  Appropriate schoolbag carrying Keeping both straps on both shoulders. Adjust the straps in a way that will make the bag sit properly on the child’s back, meaning the lower part of the bag will be located around the lumbar curve of the spine. Straps should be short enough to keep the bag close to the back, but not so short or tight as to discourage using both straps. Hip and chest straps help distribute the weight and maintain stability. Work practice controls can also include making sure students don’t carry bags when they don’t need them. Adequate physical activity to maintain cardiovascular and musculoskeletal strength is also important. A child carrying 20 pounds is less likely to run home, or even to want to walk than those carrying the minimum necessary