Frequency of postural changes during sitting whilst using a desktop computer – exploring an analytical methodology

Background: Dynamic movement whilst sitting is advocated as a way to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms from seated activities. Conventionally, in ergonomics research, only a ‘snapshot’ of static sitting posture is captured, which does not provide information on the number or type of movements over a period of time. A novel approach to analyse the number of postural changes whist sitting was employed in order to describe the sitting behaviour of adolescents whilst undertaking computing activities. Methods: A repeated-measures observational study was conducted. A total of 12 high school students were randomly selected from a conveniently selected school. Fifteen minutes of 3D posture measurements were recorded to determine the number of postural changes whilst using computers. Results: Data of 11 students were able to be analysed. Large intra-subject variation of the median and IQR was observed, indicating frequent postural changes whilst sitting. Conclusion: Better understanding of usual dynamic postural movements whilst sitting will provide new insights into causes of musculoskeletal symptoms experienced by computer users.