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Evaluation of Knowledge for Risk Factors Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Computer Users in Bulgaria

Received: 21 July 2022    Accepted: 5 August 2022    Published: 24 August 2022
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Abstract

Prolonged computer work is among the most common causes for developing musculoskeletal disorders, as well as various of inflammatory and degenerative conditions affecting tendons, blood vessels and joints, among others. During recent COVID-19 lockdowns, many office workers were forced to work from home, where workplace ergonomic assessments were no longer possible. In such cases, computer users must rely on their ergonomic training and knowledge of risk factors to keep a healthy work environment. The current study focuses on the awareness and knowledge of various risk factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders among office workers and university students. A cross-sectional survey among 197 participants was conducted during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Bulgaria. Respondents were asked if they had felt discomfort and pain in ten body areas due to prolonged computer use. All of the survey questions were designed with multiple-choice responses and rating scales to maximize the response rate and ease the data analysis. According to the findings, one out of every four persons is unaware of how to protect themselves from musculoskeletal pain. As a result, increased efforts through educational initiatives are required, which have a strong focus on changing working behaviors, as ergonomic interventions aimed at reducing unnatural body postures can be regarded as a significant step toward the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders.

Published in International Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering (Volume 10, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijbse.20221003.12
Page(s) 69-77
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Computer Work, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain Prevention, Ergonomic Organization

References
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    Sonya Vachinska Aleksandrova, Martin Ivanov, Natalya Usheva, Valentina Markova. (2022). Evaluation of Knowledge for Risk Factors Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Computer Users in Bulgaria. International Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering, 10(3), 69-77. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijbse.20221003.12

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    ACS Style

    Sonya Vachinska Aleksandrova; Martin Ivanov; Natalya Usheva; Valentina Markova. Evaluation of Knowledge for Risk Factors Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Computer Users in Bulgaria. Int. J. Biomed. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(3), 69-77. doi: 10.11648/j.ijbse.20221003.12

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    AMA Style

    Sonya Vachinska Aleksandrova, Martin Ivanov, Natalya Usheva, Valentina Markova. Evaluation of Knowledge for Risk Factors Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Computer Users in Bulgaria. Int J Biomed Sci Eng. 2022;10(3):69-77. doi: 10.11648/j.ijbse.20221003.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijbse.20221003.12,
      author = {Sonya Vachinska Aleksandrova and Martin Ivanov and Natalya Usheva and Valentina Markova},
      title = {Evaluation of Knowledge for Risk Factors Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Computer Users in Bulgaria},
      journal = {International Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering},
      volume = {10},
      number = {3},
      pages = {69-77},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijbse.20221003.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijbse.20221003.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijbse.20221003.12},
      abstract = {Prolonged computer work is among the most common causes for developing musculoskeletal disorders, as well as various of inflammatory and degenerative conditions affecting tendons, blood vessels and joints, among others. During recent COVID-19 lockdowns, many office workers were forced to work from home, where workplace ergonomic assessments were no longer possible. In such cases, computer users must rely on their ergonomic training and knowledge of risk factors to keep a healthy work environment. The current study focuses on the awareness and knowledge of various risk factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders among office workers and university students. A cross-sectional survey among 197 participants was conducted during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Bulgaria. Respondents were asked if they had felt discomfort and pain in ten body areas due to prolonged computer use. All of the survey questions were designed with multiple-choice responses and rating scales to maximize the response rate and ease the data analysis. According to the findings, one out of every four persons is unaware of how to protect themselves from musculoskeletal pain. As a result, increased efforts through educational initiatives are required, which have a strong focus on changing working behaviors, as ergonomic interventions aimed at reducing unnatural body postures can be regarded as a significant step toward the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Evaluation of Knowledge for Risk Factors Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Computer Users in Bulgaria
    AU  - Sonya Vachinska Aleksandrova
    AU  - Martin Ivanov
    AU  - Natalya Usheva
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    T2  - International Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering
    JF  - International Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering
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    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijbse.20221003.12
    AB  - Prolonged computer work is among the most common causes for developing musculoskeletal disorders, as well as various of inflammatory and degenerative conditions affecting tendons, blood vessels and joints, among others. During recent COVID-19 lockdowns, many office workers were forced to work from home, where workplace ergonomic assessments were no longer possible. In such cases, computer users must rely on their ergonomic training and knowledge of risk factors to keep a healthy work environment. The current study focuses on the awareness and knowledge of various risk factors associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders among office workers and university students. A cross-sectional survey among 197 participants was conducted during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Bulgaria. Respondents were asked if they had felt discomfort and pain in ten body areas due to prolonged computer use. All of the survey questions were designed with multiple-choice responses and rating scales to maximize the response rate and ease the data analysis. According to the findings, one out of every four persons is unaware of how to protect themselves from musculoskeletal pain. As a result, increased efforts through educational initiatives are required, which have a strong focus on changing working behaviors, as ergonomic interventions aimed at reducing unnatural body postures can be regarded as a significant step toward the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders.
    VL  - 10
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Author Information
  • Department of Manufacturing Technologies and Machine Tools, Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering and Technologies, Technical University of Varna, Varna, Bulgaria

  • Department of Communication Engineering and Technologies, Faculty of Computer Sciences and Automation, Technical University of Varna, Varna, Bulgaria

  • Department of Social Medicine and Healthcare Organization, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Varna, Varna, Bulgaria

  • Department of Communication Engineering and Technologies, Faculty of Computer Sciences and Automation, Technical University of Varna, Varna, Bulgaria

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