Does ergonomic mismatch at school impact pain in school children?

Musculoskeletal pain in school-aged children is highly prevalent. While there are many potential factors relating to this discomfort, one unexplored factor is the ergonomic mismatch. The objective of this study was to determine whether the degree of mismatch between the body dimensions and the classroom furniture was associated with body discomfort. One hundred and thirty-nine children in a Midwestern U.S. school district participated in the study where demographic information, anthropometric measurements, self-reported regional body discomfort, and furniture measurements were collected. The results indicate an extremely high prevalence of ergonomic mismatch. Contrary to what was hypothesized, the ergonomic mismatch was not associated with body discomfort. The lack of association may have been a result of the extremely high prevalence of ergonomic mismatch as well as potential adaptations by the students. Although almost every student was found to not fit their desk and chairs, ergonomic mismatch had limited impact on the body discomfort. It appears that other factors such as backpack weight and time carrying may contribute more to the discomfort of students. However, caution is stress with regard to dismissing ergonomic mismatch factor as a potential risk factor since the extremely high prevalence may have washed out any effect.