Scholar Ergonomics - Primary Schools in Tartu (Estonia) Study Case (Poster)

Education is a key activity in the development and education of children. A good part of posture problems that most people get, start up as a child, not paying attention to the positions taken and bringing long-term adverse effects to their health. In this sense, school furniture that can be found in the classrooms of the 1st cycle is the main theme of this article, being a special attention to other factors that may influence the health of children. The present study aimed to conduct an evaluation of ergonomic desk and chair sets school in the city and outskirts of Tartu, Estonia, children from 1st to 4th classes, being the sample of the study constituted by four Schools of the Estonian Basic Education. To fulfill the objective, a study was carried out, as to its nature of a cross-sectional, descriptive-co relational (level II). As for the sampling design, the type was non-probabilistic and Convenience / Accidental. The study was conducted in the academic year (2012/2013) and data collection to the months from January to April (2013). Regarding the collection methodology, two types of instruments were defined: surveys previously adapted, self-administered to 155 parents of the students in study (132 of whom delivered the questionnaire after filling); observation of postures, furniture and general conditions in the classroom (non-participant observation). The data were statistically analyzed using the SPSS software version 21. The data analysis showed that the school furniture used in the schools under study was not ergonomic, since it mostly did not respect the existing recommendations, not attending to the needs of students as a whole, showing a clear mismatch between the anthropometric characteristics and the dimensions of the furniture.