“The evidence on physical effects links the sedentary nature of computer use to an increased risk of obesity. Children should limit their time with media and should be taught to use computers safely to avoid the types of eye, back, and wrist injuries that have plagued adult computer users.” (Subrahmanyam, 2000) For these reasons computer usage amongst students of the 21st century should be minimized and monitored. Students should not have to suffer from these physical effects that are preventable. They should be informed of the dangers, and they should know the preventative measures that can be taken to reduce the risk.
Obesity levels in children and adolescents are on the rise. In the US, for example, the prevalence in girls and adolescents has more than doubled since the early 1960s. (Hardman, 2003) This can be largely attributed to inactivity due to large amounts of time being spent using computers. This inactivity can have long term effects on the lives of these young adults. It can lead to increased incidents of heart disease, stroke and diabetes just to name a few. These health concerns could be reduced if the amount of time students spent on computers was reduced. Less time sitting at a computer and more time doing a physical activity can have a positive impact on overall health.
Another concern of excessive computer usage among students is the development of eye injuries. Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is on the rise. According to Chambers (1999), “There are more than 70 million personal computers across the United States. According to the American Optometric Association, nearly 90 percent of people using those PCs for more than three hours a day suffer from eye trouble, causing more than 12 million of them to seek treatment. That treatment comes at a cost of more than $2 billion a year to health plans.” CVS develops due to the fact that when using a computer the average number of blinks a person makes decreases from approximately 22 blinks per minute to 5 blinks per minute. This decrease leads to the eyes drying out, and thus irritation occurs.
Eye sight is extremely valuable. Students are risking damage to their vision by spending long hours on computers every day. Some of the discomfort associated with CVS includes eye strain, headache, slowness in changing focusing distance, and blurred vision after close-up work. The good news is that many of these symptoms are short term and will diminish with time away from the computer.
An additional health concern for students who use computers is the development of back pain, neck stiffness, and sore shoulders. Students will continue to use computers for large amounts of time and because of this there is a need to educate them about appropriate ergonomics and postural health.
According to the author of The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies and Emerging Applications (Jacko, 2003) there are a number of ways to prevent these discomforts from developing. Important preventive measures include doing things such as adjusting chair height to match physique, making sure that the desk height and workspace in front of the key board is comfortable, and avoiding prolonged positions and postures that are unnatural . Changing postures regularly can increase the amount of time that can be spent using a computer while decreasing or minimizing discomfort and muscle strain.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is another possible dilemma that students may be faced with due to the many hours they log each week sitting in front of a computer screen. CTS is an increase in the volume of the contents of the carpal canal or decrease in the space of the canal. Greer (2004) states that the carpal tunnel is a conduit-like space on the palm side of the wrist. The median nerve along with nine flexor tendons pass through this canal. Rapid and traumatic flexing and extension of the wrist (example, hammering), a strong gripping action (example, stapling gun), or a vibrating force (example, pneumatic hammer) may cause enlargement of the flexor tendons and, indirectly, chronic irritation of the median nerve.” This irritation can lead to pain, numbness, and weakness of the hands. Improper wrist positioning while typing for extended periods of time can also cause this syndrome to occur. Computer operators are at the highest risk for developing CTS, and since students are using computers for extended periods of time, they are also at risk.
There are strategies to reduce the discomfort CTS can create if caught in its early stages. Preventative measures include keeping the wrist in a neutral position whenever possible and avoiding positions that flex and extend the hand for long periods of time. Taking frequent breaks from repetitive movements many also reduce the risk.
As this paper has shown, long term computer usage can have negative physical health implications for students. There are many possible health concerns that can develop including inactivity which in turn leads to obesity. Vision problems can arise, such as Computer Vision Syndrome. Muscle and joint pain can develop as a result of prolonged body positioning and inattention to proper posture. It is important that students are given adequate information and education about these issues in order to avoid or minimize their effect. A majority of these problems can be prevented if pre-emptive measures are taken.
Computers are the way of the future, and students need to augment their technical knowledge of computers and computer programs with awareness of preventative measures to maintain physical conditioning and good health.
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