Incidence of School Furniture Mismatch and Health Implications in Primary School Children in Akure, South-West Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mismatches between children’s anthropometric measures and classroom furniture dimensions can cause musculoskeletal disorders and affect performance in classroom activities. The aim of this study was to survey the anthropometric measures of primary school children in Akure South Local Government and to evaluate the level of match/mismatch between children’s anthropometric measures and classroom furniture dimensions available to the children. Three hundred children (150 males and 150 females) age 5 to 12 and across three different schools were selected for the study. Permission was sort from the schools’ administrators and consent obtained from the parents of the children. Their anthropometric measures were taken using a standard anthropometer. The dimensions of the classroom furniture were also taken using a tape measure. Only twenty-eight (28) percent of all males in the study have seat heights matching their popliteal heights and only 20% for the females. With the seat depth, 48% of the males have matches while 44% of the females have matches. When the elbow height was compared with the seat-desk height, no match was found. The evidence presented is indicative of high levels of postural overload which affects the performance of classroom activities such as writing, reading, and typing; causing pain and discomfort and consequently reducing attention.