Effectiveness of Parents-Centered Ergonomic Educational Intervention on Their Performance Regarding Safe Musculoskeletal Growth and Development among Their School-age and Adolescent

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University, Egypt,

2 Lecturer of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing-Mansoura University, Egypt

3 Assistant Professor of sports kinesiology, Faculty of Physical Education, Damietta University, Egypt

4 Assistant Professor of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University, Egypt,

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal health is a global concern for school-age children and adolescents. Children often face ergonomic risk factors in their daily activities, so it is important to raise parental awareness to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in their children. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of parent-centered ergonomic educational intervention on their performance regarding safe musculoskeletal growth and development among their school-age and adolescent. Subjects and methodA randomized controlled trial was conducted at pediatric outpatient clinics affiliated with Mansoura University Children's Hospital and Tanta University Hospital. A total of 110 parents and their children were randomly selected. Data collection tool was an interview schedule that included five parts as follow: baseline parents and their children's characteristics; an ergonomics knowledge test, an ergonomics-reported practices checklist, the Standardized Nordic Body Map Questionnaire (SNBMQ), and the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA). Results: The intervention group of parents showed significant improvements in ergonomic knowledge and reported practices compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Additionally, the children in the intervention group showed significant differences in musculoskeletal pain and posture three months after the education. Conclusion and recommendations: The study suggests that parent-centered ergonomic education can improve knowledge and reported practices and it recommends ergonomic educational interventions to promote safe musculoskeletal growth and development in children.

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