The Virtual Office: A Perspective from College Students

Details

• Personal Author:
  Davis, Kermit G. ; Kotowski SE
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: As the COVID-19 pandemic took root in the United States, most universities quickly transitioned to online and remained there through spring 2021. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to identify the impact of the switch to online on student home offices and corresponding health outcomes. METHODS: An online survey was sent out to all student at a large Midwest university to assess the work practices and health outcomes. RESULTS: In total, 1074 responses were completed. The shift to online not only resulted in most students utilizing laptop computers without external monitors, keyboards, or mouse input devices, but also a major increase in the amount of time spent using technology (on average 31 to 40 hours per week). The amount of severe to extreme discomfort in the neck, shoulder, upper back, and lower back was alarming (above 41%). CONCLUSION: The home offices of students were often sub-optimal, indicating the need to educate university students. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Computers Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Telework Breaks Computer Equipment COVID-19 Human-computer Interface Keyboard Laptops MSD Musculoskeletal Discomfort Musculoskeletal Disorders Work Practices

  More +
• ISSN:
  1051-9815
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  433-440
• Volume:
  71
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067956
• Citation:
  Work 2022 Feb; 71(2):433-440
• Contact Point Address:
  Susan E. Kotowski, Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, College of Allied Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
• Email:
  Susan.kotowski@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Work
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5afbfae9fed3f1101723a0ccc4787e742ed3e3c2a1639fa3bc40a771fa29fbfe21932f1d4fe43ca4d4e60dc839f1c595abe407cdede95ca13268d8d24dfbb834
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230188/cdc_230188_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 430.45 KB ]