Estudio longitudinal: inadecuación del mobiliario y salud de los estudiantes en Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34256/ijk2627Palabras clave:
Compromiso Académico, Discrepancia Antropométrica, Ghana, Estudio Longitudinal, Salud Musculoesquelética, Estudiantes UniversitariosResumen
Introducción: La discrepancia entre el mobiliario (mesas y sillas) de las aulas universitarias y las características antropométricas de los estudiantes se ha identificado como una causa importante de problemas de salud musculoesquelética y de afectación al rendimiento académico. Este estudio realiza un seguimiento de los estudiantes a lo largo del tiempo, evitando así las mediciones transversales de dicha discrepancia. El objetivo del estudio fue investigar cómo la falta de ajuste entre la antropometría de los estudiantes y las dimensiones del mobiliario de las aulas influye en el bienestar musculoesquelético y el compromiso académico en una universidad de Ghana. Métodos: Mediante ecuaciones estándar y cálculos basados en los datos recopilados, se verificaron las situaciones de ajuste y desajuste experimentadas por los estudiantes. Se registraron datos estandarizados sobre salud musculoesquelética y rendimiento académico a través de cuestionarios administrados en distintos momentos de un mismo año académico (inicio del semestre, mitad del semestre y antes de los exámenes finales), con el fin de evaluar los efectos acumulativos de un mobiliario mal diseñado. Resultados: La estatura media de los hombres (171,3 cm) es mayor que la de las mujeres (163,4 cm). Se registraron discrepancias totales (100 %) en la relación entre la altura del asiento y la mesa, así como en la longitud de la mesa, en ambos sexos; asimismo, se observaron desajustes en la altura del asiento (53,1 % en mujeres y 38,6 % en hombres) y en el diseño del respaldo (92,9 % en mujeres y 86,3 % en hombres). La prevalencia de dolor cervical en los hombres aumentó del 42,1 % al 62,9 % entre el inicio y el final del semestre. El dolor reduce significativamente el compromiso académico de los estudiantes, afectando zonas como los hombros (puntuación de 2,97 a 2,27), la zona lumbar (2,96 a 2,26) y los muslos (3,04 a 2,28). Conclusión: El mobiliario fijo de talla única utilizado en las aulas universitarias de Ghana provoca molestias físicas crónicas, lo que deriva en un aumento del dolor musculoesquelético y en una disminución del rendimiento académico de los estudiantes a lo largo del semestre.
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