An Analysis of Anthropometric Data on Iranian Primary School Children

"nBackground: Anthropometric data can be used to identify the physical dimensions of equipment, furniture, etc. The use of furni­ture that fails to fulfill the anthropometric data of its users has a negative impact on human health. Specific anthropomet­ric dimensions are necessary to design school furniture. Anthropometric data have been measured in many communi­ties especially among schoolchildren. There are different ethnic groups with probably different anthropometric data in Iran, and anthropometric data can change by time, so gathering data about anthropometric dimensions is important. This study was designed to obtain anthropometric dimensions of Iranian children (Fars ethnicity) aged 7-11 years. "nMethods: In a cross-sectional study in Yazd, Iran, descriptive statistics as well as key percentiles for 17 static anthropomet­ric data of primary school students (1015 males and 1015 females), were measured and compared between boys and girls. "nResults: The age of the students was between 6 and 11 years. Mean weight was between 21.56±5.33 kg and 36.63±9.45 kg in boys and between 20.79±3.48 kg and 35.88±9.40 kg in girls. Mean height was between 1187/02±53.98 mm and 1420.83± 69.39 mm in boys and between 1173.90±51.01mm and 1421.27±70.82 mm in girls. There was also some differ­ence in other anthropometric data between two genders. "nConclusion: Results of this study showed some differences in anthropometric data with other studies. We also observed signifi­cant gender differences in some dimensions as well.&nbsp

Musculoskeletal disorders among video display terminal (VDT) workers comparing with other office workers

Background and aimsScientific and industrial development has led to increased production,which has been associated with different complications, including occupational stress, and increased incidence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders arefrequent causes of absenteeism in developed countries. We designed this study to assess musculoskeletal disorders and occupational stress among video display terminal (VDT) workers in comparison with other office workers.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study on 72 VDT workers (case) and 145 office workers (control). In this study we used Nordic and Osipow questionnaires in order to evaluate musculoskeletal disorders and job stress, respectively. The questionnaires were filled by direct interview. T test, chi square, Fisher test and logistic regression were used for data analysis.ResultsThe frequency of musculoskeletal disorders among VDT users in the last 12 months was 46.5%, 20.3%, 5.1%, 12.4% and 57.6% in neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and low back areas, respectively. The frequency of musculoskeletal complaints in neck, shoulder and wrist and mean score of occupational stress was significantly higher in the case group comparing with controlgroup, and both results were statistically significant.ConclusionVDT working is a high-risk job for musculoskeletal disorders. In this study the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders, especially in high-risk regions for this job, was higher in VDTworkers than other office workers. We recommend to perform other studies in order to find non-ergonomic points and postures in these persons

Assessment of sick building syndrome among office workers in Shahid Sadoughi University of medical sciences in 2008

Background and aims Building associated illnesses are a group of illnesses caused by physical or psychological conditions of workplace. One of theses illnesses is sick building syndrome (SBS) which consists of a group of symptoms, including mucosal irritation, headache, fatigue, skin dryness and itching, and nausea that are temporally related to presence in a particular building. This study was designed to assess SBS and factors affecting it in central building of Shahid Sadoughi University of medical sciences.   Methods This is a cross-sectional study on workers of central building of Shahid Sadoughi University of medical sciences. The prevalence of SBS was determined using self-administered indoor air quality (IAQ) questionnaire for office workers. All workers who worked at least one year in this building and had no other medical illnesses with similar symptoms to SBS, entered the study and the questionnaire was filled out for them. Data was analyzed using chi square test.   ResultsPrevalence of SBS among the workers of central building was 35.7% (34.8% in male and 36.9% in female workers). There was no significant association between prevalence of SBS and age, gender, duration of employment and level of education. The most frequent complaints mentioned by participants were fatigue and headache, and the most frequent causes were noise, inadequate physical space and crowded work environment.   Conclusion This survey showed a relatively high prevalence of SBS among office workers in this organization. So considering the effects of SBS on workers' function and productivity, it is recommended to reduce its causes, especially noise and inadequate space