Duration Of Computer Use Research Articles

Comparative Study of Computer Usage Patterns and Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Symptoms among College Students

Recent studies have shown that computer-use-related musculoskeletal discomfort is prevalent in college students. In this paper two studies of college student computer usage, conducted five years apart (2003 and 2008), are compared. The participants in both studies completed online computer usage surveys. Questions included the duration of computer use, at what times they would most likely be using a computer, and at what locations. Some questions were focused on what safe computing practices the student had possibly adopted, such as taking breaks. Both studies indicated that students often assume awkward postures when computing. Students also reported continuously computing, with no breaks, though breaks are recommended by computer ergonomics programs in other sectors. Reported discomfort associated with computer use indicates that students are already experiencing musculoskeletal symptoms. This study can guide in the development, implementation, and evaluation of changes in the equipment and/or training that will reduce the ergonomic risks to students.

Cervical Spondylosis among Group of Computer Users in Erbil City

Background and objective: Neck pain due to poor posture, if neglected for long time, can lead to development of the cervical spondylosis. This study was designed to analyze the relation between symptoms and signs originating from the cervical spine and the duration of computer use. Methods: A comparison of a group of male subjects who work on computer with those who do not work on computer whose ages range between (30 - 50) years was done for liability of cervical spondylosis. Any subject whose BMI is more than 25Kg/m2 was excluded. Likewise any subject with recognized evidence for predisposition to develop spondylosis was excluded.Employee from different establishments in Erbil City (200 Subjects), over a period of six months from January / 2008 were included in the study.Ninety nine subjects who use computer and hundred and one non-computer user. Subjects were subdivided into: First group: Computer user. Second group: Non-computer user. In both groups the duration of occupation ranges between four to sixteen year and hours of working/week range between (22-32 hours). The (99) subjects who work on computer each of them was evaluated for computer work station and asked about his posture during use of computer and asked if he takes a break time when he work for long hours.The difference between comparable subdivisions of the studied subjects was tested by the Chi-square test concerning the frequency of spondylosis in each of them. Results: Cervical spondylosis was statistically significant among those who use computer (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Long term use of computer with bad posture and with out break time increase liability for developing cervical spondylosis in comparison of (same age group, same duration of occupation ,and same hours of working) but not using computer. Proper posture and take a break time when using computer for long time is necessary.

Ethical awareness of computer use among undergraduate students

This study investigates the ethical awareness of computer use among undergraduate computer science students at two public Malaysian universities. One hundred and fifty-nine students were asked to evaluate the code of ethics pertaining to computer ethics. A comparison of undergraduate computer science students between two public universities was done to determine the level of ethical awareness of computer use. Independent Samples t-tests for differences were performed across four distinct groups: university, gender, age, and duration of computer use. The results of the tests conducted indicate that the ethical awareness of computer use of the students differ most significantly on the basis of the university itself. There were minimal differences across gender, age and duration of computer use. This suggests that computer ethics awareness training is needed for university users. The results are discussed and the implications for studies in an educational context are outlined.

Estimated activity patterns in British 45 year olds: cross-sectional findings from the 1958 British birth cohort

To investigate patterns of, and associations between, physical activity at work and in leisure time, television viewing and computer use. 4531 men and 4594 women with complete plausible data, age 44-45 years, participating in the 1958 British birth cohort study. Physical activity, television viewing and computer use (hours/week) were estimated using a self-complete questionnaire and intensity (MET hours/week) derived for physical activity. Relationships were investigated using linear regression and chi(2) tests. From a target sample of 11,971, 9223 provided information on physical activity, of whom 75 and 47% provided complete and plausible activity data on work and leisure time activity respectively. Men and women spent a median of 40.2 and 34.2 h/week, respectively in work activity, and 8.3 and 5.8 h/week in leisure activity. Half of all participants watched television for > or =2 h/day, and half used a computer for <1 h/day. Longer work hours were not associated with a shorter duration of leisure activity, but were associated with a shorter duration of computer use (men only). In men, higher work MET hours were associated with higher leisure-time MET hours, and shorter durations of television viewing and computer use. Watching more television was related to fewer hours or MET hours of leisure activity, as was longer computer use in men. Longer computer use was related to more hours (or MET hours) in leisure activities in women. Physical activity levels at work and in leisure time in mid-adulthood are low. Television viewing (and computer use in men) may compete with leisure activity for time, whereas longer duration of work hours is less influential. To change active and sedentary behaviours, better understanding of barriers and motivators is needed.

Design and functional evaluation of a novel external logger for computer input activities

This study presents a novel external device for quantifying accurately keyboard and mouse usage with a high input rate for prolonged periods. Three experimental tasks were performed to determine the effectiveness of the proposed logger. All mouse and keyboard activities were recorded simultaneously using the logger and WorkPace software. Ten university students typed on a keyboard, moved and clicked a mouse during tasks under various preset and self-selected speeds for 3 min. Computer input activities of 7 university students playing online games and 7 processing documents were recorded for 8 consecutive days. Analytical results demonstrate that the proposed external logger is more accurate than WorkPace, especially at a fast data entry speeds. The keystroke counts recorded by WorkPace were accurate only at low typing speeds. Moreover, the keystroke count recorded by WorkPace decreased by 17.6% from the logger-registered keystroke count when the typing rate was ≥4 keys/s, particularly when amalgamating with composite keystrokes. Similarly, the number of mouse clicks counted by WorkPace was 27.8% less than that counted by the logger when the click rate was ≥3.2 clicks/s. The average reduction in number of WorkPace-counted keystrokes and mouse clicks was 7.7 ± 2.0% (range [4.4%, 9.7%]) and 3.3 ± 3.3% (range [0.04%, 8.7%]), respectively, during online gaming tests, and was 4.0 ± 4.9% (range [−3.6%, 8.9%]) and 4.6 ± 4.7% (range [0.7%, 13.1%]), respectively, during document processing tests. This work demonstrates that the proposed external logger is an accurate and reliable tool for quantitatively measuring computer input activities. Further applications of the logger are discussed. Relevance to industry Quantitative assessment of keyboard and mouse use can help identify high-risk groups and safe duration of computer use. The proposed logger effectively measures computer input activities, thereby providing accurate data than a software-based logger in assessing computer usage.

A Wide Range of Activity Duration Cutoffs Provided Unbiased Estimates of Exposure to Computer Use

Integrative computer usage monitors have become widely used in epidemiologic studies to investigate the exposure-response relationship of computer-related musculoskeletal disorders. These software programs typically estimate the exposure duration of computer use by summing precisely recorded durations of input device activities and durations of inactivity periods shorter than a predetermined activity duration cutoff value, usually 30 or 60 sec. The goal of this study was to systematically compare the validity of a wide range of cutoff values. Computer use activity of 20 office workers was observed for 4 consecutive hours using both a video camera and a usage monitor. Video recordings from the camera were analyzed using specific observational criteria to determine computer use duration. This observed duration then served as the reference and was compared with 238 estimates of computer use duration calculated from the usage monitor data using activity duration cutoffs ranging from 3 to 240 sec in 1-sec increments. Estimates calculated with cutoffs ranging from 28 to 60 sec were highly correlated with the observed duration (Spearman's correlation 0.87 to 0.92) and had nearly ideal linear relationships with the observed duration (slopes and r-squares close to one, and intercepts close to zero). For the same range of cutoff values, when the observed and estimated durations were compared for dichotomous exposure classification across participants, minimal exposure misclassification was observed. It is concluded that activity duration cutoffs ranging from 28 to 60 sec provided unbiased estimates of computer use duration.

A novel mathematical approach for modelling time‐dependent musculoskeletal outcomes for office staff

Musculoskeletal disorders are common in prolonged computer use. The dynamics of the relationship between musculoskeletal outcomes and duration of computer use is not easy to model by common statistical methods due to the nonlinearity of the data. The use of inappropriate statistical models increases the likelihood of drawing wrong conclusions. In this paper we present a new mathematical methodology for modelling such a dynamic data set. Data on simultaneous direct measures of computer usage and questionnaire diaries of discomfort ratings were analysed using singular value decomposition as a means to track dominant dynamic trends, which presented the common characteristic of the relationship between computer-related workload and musculoskeletal outcomes over time. The relationship was constructed explicitly as a dose-response functional relationship that was parametrized by body region parameters. Standard statistical software was employed to quantify the variability of the estimates due to the complicated feature involved in the data. A deterministic population model was then developed to simulate the dynamics of computer-related workload and musculoskeletal outcomes. A stochastic model was also proposed to describe the stochastic nature of dynamics for individual subjects. The model was verified by comparison with real data for forecasting purposes. Possibilities for extending the model to accommodate more complicated medical data are discussed. The mathematical model can be served as both a deterministic population model that can project the demographic consequences and a stochastic model that can describe the whole quantity evolution of the study subjects. The proposed methodology is a flexible and broadly applicable one, which can be utilized by a variety of medical research.

Test–retest reliability and validity of self-reported duration of computer use at work

The aims of this study were to evaluate the test-retest reliability and the validity of self-reported duration of computer use at work. Test-retest reliability was studied among 81 employees of a research department of a university medical center. The employees filled out a web-based questionnaire twice with an in-between period of 14 days. Validity was studied among a group of 572 office workers who participated in an epidemiologic field study. A software program recorded the duration of computer use at work during the 3 months preceding the questionnaire. The percentages of agreement for test-retest reliability were 75% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 64-84] for total computer use and 67% (95% CI 55-77) for mouse use. The percentages of agreement between self-report and registration were 18% (95% CI 15-21) for total computer use and 16% (95% CI 13-19) for mouse use. Misclassification was mainly nondifferential in nature, since all of the evaluated subgroups showed at least 75% misclassification. The use of self-reports lead to the misclassification of exposure to computer use for more than 80% of all persons. This misclassification is predominantly nondifferential in nature and can only partly be explained by limited test-retest reliability.

Validity of two methods to assess computer use: Self-report by questionnaire and computer use software

A long duration of computer use is known to be positively associated with Work Related Upper Extremity Disorders (WRUED). Self-report by questionnaire is commonly used to assess a worker's duration of computer use. The aim of the present study was to assess the validity of self-report and computer use software (WorkPace ®) to assess the duration of computer use in a heterogeneous office population and for different job types. Ninety-nine bank employees with various job titles participated in the study. The duration of computer use was assessed simultaneously by self-report (questionnaire), WorkPace ® and direct observation. Observation was regarded as the golden standard. On average, self-reports overestimated the observed duration of computer use with 39%. This overestimation was reduced to 9% when using WorkPace ®. Viewing times (time viewing the screen without touching mouse or keyboard) differed between computer jobs. It was concluded that computer use statistics yield rather accurate estimations of duration of computer use, whereas self-reports do not. These estimations can be further improved by using specific viewing time estimations for different computer jobs. Relevance to industry To develop guidelines for safe duration of computer use and to assess high-risk groups, valid but simple exposure assessment methods are needed. Computer use software proves to be more valid than self-reports by questionnaire that are commonly used.

Factors influencing nurses’ attitudes towards the use of computerized health information systems in Kuwaiti hospitals

This paper reports a survey of nurses' attitudes towards computerized health information systems, the characteristics that influence these attitudes and the level of nurses' skills in computer use. The use of such systems in developed countries and in some developing countries has already become a reality. However, nurses as a group of care providers have been found to resist computerization, seeing computerized health information systems as dehumanizing, confusing and uncaring. Nurses with more computer experience tend to have more positive views; education and training positively influence attitudes; and younger and less experienced nurses may have more positive attitudes. A structured questionnaire was used to measure the attitudes of nurses working in Kuwait towards computerization. A random sample of 574 nurses working in Ministry of Health hospitals were sent a questionnaire, and 530 replies were received (response rate 92.3%). The data were collected from November 2002 to January 2003. Respondents generally had positive attitudes toward computerized health information systems. Analysis of variance revealed statistically significant differences in attitudes in relation to nationality, level of education, previous experience in computer use, and computer skills (P < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that gender, nationality, education levels, and duration of computer use were statistically significant predictors of attitudes toward computerized health information systems (P < 0.05). With adequate computerized health information system training, the implementation of computerized health information systems could be effective for nurses in providing quality health care, as found in other studies.

Prospective research on musculoskeletal disorders in office workers (PROMO): study protocol

BackgroundThis article describes the background and study design of the PROMO study (Prospective Research on Musculoskeletal disorders in Office workers). Few longitudinal studies have been performed to investigate the risk factors responsible for the incidence of hand, arm, shoulder and neck symptoms among office workers, given the observation that a large group of office workers might be at risk worldwide. Therefore, the PROMO study was designed. The main aim is to quantify the contribution of exposure to occupational computer use to the incidence of hand, arm, shoulder and neck symptoms. The results of this study might lead to more effective and/or cost-efficient preventive interventions among office workers.Methods/DesignA prospective cohort study is conducted, with a follow-up of 24 months. In total, 1821 participants filled out the first questionnaire (response rate of 74%). Data on exposure and outcome is collected using web-based self-reports. Outcome assessment takes place every three months during the follow-up period. Data on computer use are collected at baseline and continuously during follow-up using a software program.DiscussionThe advantages of the PROMO study include the long follow-up period, the repeated measurement of both exposure and outcome, and the objective measurement of the duration of computer use. In the PROMO study, hypotheses stemming from lab-based and field-based research will be investigated.

A comparison of methods for the assessment of postural load and duration of computer use

Aim: To compare two different methods for assessment of postural load and duration of computer use in office workers. Methods: The study population existed of 87 computer workers. Questionnaire data...

Validation of a commercial software package for quantification of computer use

The aim was to validate measurements of the duration of computer use by a commercial software package in relation to video-based observations. Twenty-two computer users with computer-based work tasks primarily consisting of data entry, word-, and data processing participated in the study. During 1 h, when the subjects performed their normal work, the duration of computer use was estimated simultaneously by the software program WorkPace and by video-based observations. Two observers analyzed the video-recordings independently. Pearson correlation showed r-values above 0.9 for both observers in relation to the software and between the observers. A significant difference was found between one of the observers and the software program, but judged by 95% confidence intervals and limits of agreement the measurements of the duration of computer use based on the software WorkPace appear to be in agreement with the video-based observations. Relevance to industry The software may be used as a valid tool to measure exposure in large epidemiological studies or to provide objective feedback on time spent at the computer and the usage of keyboard and mouse to the computer user.

Development of neck and hand-wrist symptoms in relation to duration of computer use at work.

This study attempted to identify risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and hand-wrist regions among employees using computers at work. Computer users (N=5033) first received a questionnaire in the beginning of 1999 (69% response rate, N=3475), and a follow-up questionnaire was mailed in December of 2000 to the 3361 respondents to the baseline survey (77% response rate, N=2576). Health outcome was defined as musculoskeletal symptoms for >7 days within the last year of follow-up among the nonsymptomatic respondents at baseline. Men's and women's previous symptoms, women's low influence at work and high-placed computer screen, and men's short time in the same job and good computer skills were associated with neck symptoms. Hand-wrist symptoms were predicted by previous symptoms and low influence at work for both the men and women and sensorial demands for the women only. The duration of computer use predicted hand-wrist symptoms [eg, odds ratio (OR) of 2.3, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.2-4.3, for almost continual computer use], but not neck symptoms. For those with almost continual computer use, hand-wrist symptoms were associated with mouse use for at least half of the worktime (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.0-15.5) and not using the mouse at all (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.1-14.4), as compared with mouse use for one-fourth of the worktime. Limiting computer use to less than three-fourths of the worktime would help to prevent hand-wrist symptoms. Furthermore, low influence at work predicts both neck and hand-wrist symptoms.

Duration of computer use and mouse use in relation to musculoskeletal disorders of neck or upper limb

The objectives of this study were to examine the association between work-related upper limb disorders (WRULDs) and duration of computer and mouse use, to investigate differences in these associations between men and women, and to examine whether a possible relationship between duration of computer use and WRULDs was explained by physical or psychosocial risk factors. The study population in this cross-sectional questionnaire study consisted of 5400 office employees. Participants had filled out a questionnaire on job characteristics, job content, physical workload, psychosocial workload and musculoskeletal symptoms. Working with a computer during more than 6 h/day was associated with WRULDs in all body regions. Stratified analyses showed that the strength of the associations differed between men and women. In men, only moderate associations were seen for computer use more than 6 h/day. In women, moderately increased ORs were observed for a duration of computer use of more than 4 h/day and strongly increased risks for a computer use during more than 6 h/day. Frequent computer users who often used a mouse did not report more WRULDs or neck or shoulder disorders than frequent computer users who did not use a mouse. Only for arm, elbow or wrist or hand problems a moderately increased OR among the mouse users was observed, but this was not statistically significant. Relevance to industry Recent increases in the number of employees working with computers and in the durations of computer and mouse use coincide with a huge prevalence increase of work-related disorders of neck and upper limb (WRULDs) and sick leave, which poses financial burdens on companies. Research on risk factors and preventive measures is relevant for these companies.

Musculoskeletal symptoms and duration of computer and mouse use

The primary aim was to study associations between duration of computer and mouse use and musculoskeletal symptoms among computer users. A questionnaire was delivered to 5033 employees in 11 Danish companies and institutions and 3475 subjects responded (69%). Logistic regression analyses on 2579 full-time working employees showed that working almost the whole working day with a computer was associated with neck symptoms (OR=1.92, CI: 1.21–3.02) and shoulder symptoms (OR=1.83, CI: 1.13–2.95) among women and hand symptoms (OR=2.76, CI: 1.51–5.06) among men. These odds ratios were adjusted for psychosocial factors. Among respondents working almost all of their work time with a computer the gender and age-adjusted odds ratio for mouse use more than half of the work time was 1.68 (CI: 1.22–2.31) for hand/wrist symptoms. Call center and data entry workers experienced the lowest possibilities for development at work. All work tasks involving computer use, except computer maintenance, were characterised by a higher frequency of movements than desk work without using a computer. Call center work was characterised by the highest level of repetitiveness as both work tasks and movements were perceived as repetitive. Relevance to industry Computer users with a long daily duration of computer use and mouse use experienced more musculoskeletal symptoms than those with a short duration of computer use. Computer work in general seemed characterised by repetitive movements, which may be a risk factor for musculoskeletal symptoms.

Work-related psychosocial, physical and individual factors associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in computer users

The aim of this study was to study associations between psychosocial, physical and individual factors, and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, shoulder and hand/wrist regions of computer users. Questionnaires were distributed to 5033 employees in 11 Danish companies; these employees all used computers for at least some of their work time. The response rate was 69% ( n = 3475). The analyses were based on employees working 32-41 h/week ( n = 2579). Symptomatic respondents reported symptoms for at least 8 days within the previous year. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Gender (female), age and duration of employment in the same job were associated with an increased prevalence of symptoms. High quantitative job demands and low possibilities for development at work were predictors of neck and hand/wrist symptoms. A high degree of repetitiveness and disturbing reflections on the computer screen were associated with symptoms in all three body regions. Repetitive movements were defined as the same finger, hand or arm movements performed many times per minute for at least 75% of their work time. Repetitiveness was the only factor that could partly explain associations between symptoms and duration of computer use, i.e. respondents who used the computer almost all the time at work reported more repetitive movements than those who used it less. Thus, long hours of computer use may be associated with musculoskeletal symptoms, due to physical factors such as repetitive movements, whereas psychosocial factors appeared to be associated with the symptoms independently of the duration of computer use.

Relationship between self-report and log data estimates of information system usage

Self-report estimates of frequency and duration of computer use are used extensively in research related to computer and information systems acceptance. Despite concerns that self-report estimates are inferior to computer log data there is a paucity of research investigating the relationship between self-report and log data measures of computer use. The present study compared self-report estimates and six months of electronic log data for 62 health care workers using a new Community Services Information System. There were moderate to strong correlations between the self-report and electronic log estimates of frequency and duration of system use. Self-report estimates were relatively accurate in that they were quite similar in magnitude to log data values. The merits of combinations of frequency and duration data (composites) were also assessed.

Gender-related differences in exposure to and use of computers: Results of a survey of secondary school students

A number of empirical studies on the use of computers reveals gender-related differences, with women and girls showing more negative feelings toward modern computer technology. Within the scope of an evaluation study of the pilot project “CULAS” (Computer Assisted Learning in Secondary Schools in Rhineland-Palatinate) the data of over 1000 students from grades 5 to 10 were analyzed with special focus on gender-related differences. The results of this study provide information on the following aspects: frequency and duration of computer use, computer experiences, computer interests, attitudes toward computers, emotional responses while working with computers, and locus of control.