Longitudinal Study: Furniture Mismatch and Student Health in Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34256/ijk2627Keywords:
Academic Engagement, Anthropometric Mismatch, Ghana, Longitudinal Study, Musculoskeletal Health, University StudentsAbstract
Introduction: Mismatch between lecture theatre table and chair and the students’ anthropometry have been identified as a major cause of musculoskeletal health issues and academic performance among students. This study tracks students over time by avoiding the cross-sectional measurement of the mismatch. Present study was aimed at investigating the mismatch between students’ anthropometry and lecture theatre furniture dimensions on musculoskeletal well-being and academic engagement in a Ghanaian University. Methods: With the use of standard equations, matched and mismatched associations experienced by students were confirmed through calculations on the data. Standardised musculoskeletal health issues and academic performance results were recorded with the administration of questionnaires that were carried out at different periods (beginning of semester, mid-semester, and before end of semester examination) in one academic year due to the contribution of cumulative effects of poorly designed furniture. Results: Total mismatches recorded 100 % seat-to-table height and table length in both genders, 53.1% (females) and 38.6% (males) in seat height, 92.9 % (females) and 86.3 % (males) in poor backrest. Males’ neck pain rises from 42.1 % to 62.9 % at the start to the end of semester, respectively. Pain significantly reduces students' academic engagement at the shoulders (2.97 – 2.27), lower back (2.96 – 2.26), and thigh (3.04 – 2.28). Conclusion: The fixed "one-size-fits-all" furniture in Ghanaian university lecture halls causes chronic physical discomfort that leads to increased musculoskeletal pain and a drop in academic performance for students throughout the semester.
References
Abledu, J. K., & Offei, E. B. (2015). Musculoskeletal disorders among first-year Ghanaian students in a nursing college. African Health Sciences, 15(2), 444–449. https://doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v15i2.18
Adeyemi, A. J., Lasisi, O. I., Ojile, P., & Abdulkadir, M. (2020). The effect of furniture intervention on the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders and academic performance of students in North-West Nigeria. Work, 65(1), 195–203. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-193049
Agyapong Afrifah, K., & Glalah, M. (2021). Ergonomic design of university classroom furniture: Evaluation of comfortability and musculoskeletal disorders. Archives of Occupational Health, 5(3), 1036–1048. https://doi.org/10.18502/aoh.v5i3.7159
Altaboli, A., Belkhear, M., Bosenina, A., & Elfsei, N. (2015). Anthropometric evaluation of the design of the classroom desk for the fourth and fifth grades of Benghazi primary schools. Procedia Manufacturing, 3, 5655–5662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2015.07.778
Ayaz, J., Ghaffar, T., Iqbal, A., Arshad, S., Aroofa, H., Nasir, M., & Khalid, A. (2023). Musculoskeletal disorders risk factors among faculty members of academic institute: Musculoskeletal disorders risk factors. Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences. https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v4i05.767
Bazaluk, O., Tsopa, V., Cheberiachko, S., Deryugin, O., Radchuk, D., Borovytskyi, O., & Lozynskyi, V. (2023). Ergonomic risk management process for safety and health at work. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1253141. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1253141
Bell, J., & Waters, S. (2018). Ebook: Doing your research project: A guide for first-time researchers. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Bello, A. I., & Sepenu, A. S. (2013). Mismatch in body–chair dimensions and the associated musculoskeletal pain among selected undergraduate students in Ghana. Journal of Musculoskeletal Research, 16(3), 1350016. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0218957713500164
Bridger, R. S. (2017). Introduction to human factors and ergonomics. CRC Press.
Califano, R., Fiorillo, I., Baglivo, G., Chirico, C., Russo, A. D., Garro, J., Leo, M., Pacheco, C., Vitolo, G., & Naddeo, A. (2021). Comfort driven redesign: The case of library chairs. In L. Roucoules, M. Paredes, B. Eynard, P. Morer Camo, & C. Rizzi (Eds.), Advances on mechanics, design engineering and manufacturing III: JCM 2020 (pp. 155–161). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70566-4_25
Cebrián Cifuentes, S., & Guerrero Valverde, E. (2024). Validation of the University Student Engagement Questionnaire in the field of education. Education Sciences, 14(10), 1047. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14101047
Chung, J. W., & Wong, T. K. (2007). Anthropometric evaluation for primary school furniture design. Ergonomics, 50(3), 323–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140130600842328
Crawford, J. O. (2007). The Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire. Occupational Medicine, 57(4), 300–301. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqm036
Dianat, I., Karimi, M. A., Hashemi, A. A., & Bahrampour, S. (2013). Classroom furniture and anthropometric characteristics of Iranian high school students: Proposed dimensions based on anthropometric data. Applied Ergonomics, 44(1), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2012.05.004
Dul, J., & Weerdmeester, B. (2003). Ergonomics for beginners: A quick reference guide. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203212097
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
García-Acosta, G., & Lange-Morales, K. (2007). Definition of sizes for the design of school furniture for Bogotá schools based on anthropometric criteria. Ergonomics, 50(10), 1626–1642. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140130701587541
Geldhof, E., Cardon, G., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., & De Clercq, D. (2007). Back posture education in elementary schoolchildren: A 2-year follow-up study. European Spine Journal, 16, 841–850. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-006-0227-4
Gouvali, M. K., & Boudolos, K. (2006). Match between school furniture dimensions and children's anthropometry. Applied Ergonomics, 37(6), 765–773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2005.11.009
Grandjean, E. (1988). Fitting the task to the man: A textbook of occupational ergonomics. Taylor & Francis.
Harithasan, D., Singh, D. K. A., Abd Razak, N. A. B., & Baharom, N. B. (2022). Personal, academic stressors and environmental factors contributing to musculoskeletal pain among undergraduates due to online learning: A mixed method study with data integration. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(21), 14513. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114513
Hoque, A. S. M., Parvez, M. S., Halder, P. K., & Szecsi, T. (2014). Ergonomic design of classroom furniture for university students of Bangladesh. Journal of Industrial and Production Engineering, 31(5), 239–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/21681015.2014.940069
Khoshabi, P., Nejati, E., Ahmadi, S. F., Chegini, A., Makui, A., & Ghousi, R. (2020). Developing a multi-criteria decision making approach to compare types of classroom furniture considering mismatches for anthropometric measures of university students. PLOS ONE, 15(9), e0239297. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239297
Koskelo, R., Vuorikari, K., & Hänninen, O. (2007). Sitting and standing postures are corrected by adjustable furniture with lowered muscle tension in high-school students. Ergonomics, 50(10), 1643–1656. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140130701587236
Kuh, G. D. (2009). What student affairs professionals need to know about student engagement. Journal of College Student Development, 50(6), 683–706. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0099
Kuorinka, I., Jonsson, B., Kilbom, A., Vinterberg, H., Biering-Sørensen, F., Andersson, G., & Jørgensen, K. (1987). Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Applied Ergonomics, 18(3), 233–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-6870(87)90010-X
Kurban, H., Tankut, A. N., & Melemez, K. (2015). Ergonomic and structural analysis of classroom furniture: A case study for high schools in Bartin, Turkey. In Proceedings of the 27th International Conference (pp. 287–294).
Lueder, R., & Rice, V. J. B. (2008). Ergonomics for children. Taylor & Francis.
Osquei-Zadeh, R., Ghamari, J., Abedi, Z., & Shiri, H. (2012). Ergonomic and anthropometric consideration for library furniture in an Iranian public university. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 3(1), 19–26.
Panero, J., & Zelnik, M. (1979). Human dimension & interior space: A source book of design reference standards. Whitney Library of Design.
Parvez, M. S., Rahman, A., & Tasnim, N. (2019). Ergonomic mismatch between students anthropometry and university classroom furniture. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 20(5), 603–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/1463922X.2019.1617909
Pérez-Gosende, P. (2017). Anthropometry-based approach for side-mounted desktop chairs design evaluation for university students in Ecuador. In 2017 IEEE Second Ecuador Technical Chapters Meeting (ETCM). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ETCM.2017.8247516
Pheasant, S., & Haslegrave, C. (2016). Bodyspace: Anthropometry, ergonomics and the design of work (3rd ed.). CRC Press.
Pheasant, S., & Haslegrave, C. M. (2018). Bodyspace: Anthropometry, ergonomics and the design of work. CRC Press.
Reeve, J., & Tseng, C. M. (2011). Agency as a fourth aspect of students' engagement during learning activities. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(4), 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.05.002
Rosyidi, C. N., Susmartini, S., Purwaningrum, L., & Muraki, S. (2016). Mismatch analysis of elementary school furniture in several regions of Central Java, Indonesia, and redesign recommendations. SAGE Open, 6(3), 2158244016664386. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016664386
Taifa, I. W., & Desai, D. A. (2017). Anthropometric measurements for ergonomic design of students’ furniture in India. Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal, 20(1), 232–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jestch.2016.08.004
Thariq, M. M., Munasinghe, H. P., & Abeysekara, J. D. (2010). Designing chairs with mounted desktop for university students: Ergonomics and comfort. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 40(1), 8–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2009.10.003
Torgbenu, E. L., Nakua, E. K., Kyei, H., Badu, E., & Opoku, M. P. (2017). Causes, trends and severity of musculoskeletal injuries in Ghana. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 18(1), 349. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-017-1709-8
Vimalanathan, V., & Jayachandran, S. (2016). Ergonomic study of classroom furniture for university students. IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, 13(3), 33–38.
Vlaović, Z., Bogner, A., & Grbac, I. (2008). Comfort evaluation as the example of anthropotechnical furniture design. Collegium Antropologicum, 32(1), 277–283.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Adu Sylvia, Adu George, Asante Boadi Alfred
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Articles published in the International Journal of Kinanthropometry are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the source.
