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South African Journal of Industrial Engineering

On-line version ISSN 2224-7890
Print version ISSN 1012-277X

Abstract

ELGHOMATI, A.; KORHAN, O.; SEKEROGLU, B.  and  DOGRUYOL, K.. Short-term impacts of mobile touch-screen device use on musculoskeletal disorders during Covid-19 pandemic: risk assessment modelling and verification. S. Afr. J. Ind. Eng. [online]. 2022, vol.33, n.2, pp.62-77. ISSN 2224-7890.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7166/33-2-2598.

The intensive and repetitive use of touch-screens may pose significant problems, such as ergonomic pain or musculoskeletal disorders. This research aims to study the effect of using mobile touch-screen devices on the human musculoskeletal system during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and to develop a model for classifying the effects of musculoskeletal stress (pain and discomfort) on the performance of educational activities. The Cornell musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaire was given to 544 participants (71% males and 29% females). An Association Rule Mining approach was applied to illustrate the correlation, and multiple machine-learning models - used to predict the impact of pain and discomfort on different body regions - were applied to determine risk levels that might interfere with the ability to perform daily activities. Most musculoskeletal disorders were reported in the neck region and lower back (64.33% and 55.33% respectively), followed by upper back (44.30%) and the right shoulder (38%). Analysis of association rules showed high positive correlation between the lower back and the neck (support = 43%, confidence = 77%). Additionally, it was found that the radial basis function network has the highest accuracy in prediction (84%). The results of the radial basis function model showed that interference in educational activities can be predicted by using pain indicators in body parts resulting from touchscreen device usage.

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