Track: Modeling and Simulation

Abstract

The use of smart devices has become a basic necessity for college or university students mainly to attend to lectures, to access the digital material, and to complete given tasks or assignments or project. The longer use and wrong posture can adhere risks leading onto the conditions related to musculoskeletal disorders. The longer use can cause strain in the muscles and the tendons, bone, and joints. All of which can result in causing the pains. Any such symptom is technically referred to as musculoskeletal symptoms. The main motivation is to support and educate the university students about the musculoskeletal disorder, its negative impact, and then suggest how the students can deal with strategies to overcome such pain. The topic of our research is ‘Musculoskeletal Risks for using Smart Devices in Online Study for University Students’. Through this study, risks among the students at University of Sharjah is investigated. Focusing on the ergonomics issues and university students, our research is contributing with other similar studies conducted in the UAE. The sample considered is consisting of randomly selected students at University of Sharjah. Quantitative analysis is carried out with self-administered survey and posture analysis applying the well-known Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) tools. The results have shown that most affected body parts are neck, upper back, and shoulder locations in majority of cases among university students. Top three ache, pains or discomfort experience ‘several time every day’ are neck, upper back, and shoulder related. This is accounting for students experienced in neck are 10.85%, upper back is 7.16%, and shoulder are 6.7%. The results of posture analysis have provided evidence that students at University of Sharjah are at musculoskeletal ‘Medium Risk’ with respect to their postures while using smart devices and further investigated is required.