Ergonomie Issues Among Indian Children due to Increased Screen time from Online Classes During COVID-19 Pandemic

In this period of COVID-19, nothing has remain unaffected from the adverse effects of this pandemic. Schools have shifted to online teaching method and VDT use is increasing day by day in children both for education and recreation. Extended work with VDTs can lead to symptoms including ocular discomfort, muscular fatigue and discomfort. Also, if VDTs are used for prolonged periods in awkward postures, there is a risk of musculoskeletal injury. The present study was therefore undertaken to explore the types of VDTs used by students at home for online classes, to know the study environment of students and to assess the ergonomic issues of students during online study. An online questionnaire was prepared to collect the required information. School going children who were attending online classes were purposively selected for the study and convenience as well as snowball sampling was used to select the sample. A total of 830 responses were received from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and one Union Territory of Chandigarh and the data was statistically analysed. Results revealed that majority (35%) of the respondents were in the age group of 16–18 years and nearly 30 per cent of the respondents used VDTs for 6 to 8 hours per day. More than fifty per cent of the respondents preferred to use mobile phones to attend online classes. Regarding level of comfort while studying at home, 12 per cent of the respondents found it very comfortable and 9.6 per cent of the respondents felt very uncomfortable while taking classes digitally at home. Respondents reported pain in different body parts due to continuous use of VDTs for long hours. The mean score of pain was highest for neck (1.83), followed by shoulder joint (1.54), fingers (1.55) and upper back (1.52). Symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders and visual stress were also reported by respondents. When the respondents were further asked about the preferred mode of study in future, 88 per cent of the respondents preferred classroom teaching over online teaching.