Evaluation of Baby Carriers in Indonesia: Physiological and Biomechanical Approach

Abstract

Baby carrying is among the most performed activities during mothering and caring for children. Researches showed that baby carrying activities may increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders among mothers. This study aimed to evaluate three types of baby carrier often used by mothers in Indonesia, namely Soft Structured Carrier (SSC), ring sling, and jarik based on the posture analysis approach, Rate of Perceived Discomfort (RPD), Activities-Specific Balanced Confidence Scale (ABC Scale) and heart rate. This research was conducted through laboratory experiments involving 12 respondents. Each respondent was asked to carry out a simulation carrying a 6 months old baby (weighing 7.3 kg) by walking on a treadmill for 10 minutes using three different types of baby carrier. Body markers for posture analysis and heart rate sensor were installed prior to the experiment to record body motion and heart rate, respectively. At the end of the experiment, respondents were asked to provide an assessment of the perceived pain using the RPD questionnaire, as well as the ABC Scale questionnaire to obtain the level of confidence in balance when carrying a baby. The results indicated that through posture analysis, all types of baby carrier produced an average value of 490 - 520 at the sagittal shoulder angle, which falls in the normal posture category. Whereas in the craniohorizontal angle, the SSC type sling provided the best change in posture. Based on the RPD questionnaire, ring sling and jarik resulted in higher pain to the left shoulder than the SSC sling. Based on the results of the ABC scale questionnaire, the SSC sling provided a higher level of trust than the jarik and ring sling. However, no significant difference found in terms of heart rate for the three types of baby carrier.