Affiliations: Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kerala, India
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Dr. Vinay V. Panicker, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kerala, India. E-mail: vinay@nitc.ac.in.
Note: [1] ORCiD: 0000-0002-8741-5430
Note: [2] ORCiD: 0000-0003-2787-0340
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Plogging, an environment friendly trash workout is a combination of jogging with litter collection. People who are involved in the plogging carry a baggage for collecting the litter. Walking with a weight on one side causes the opposite side of the body to engage for stability and are also exposed to repetitive bending during the activity. OBJECTIVES:The purpose of this study is to evaluate the postural and physiological aspects of plogging activity. METHODS:Thirty six subjects performed the litter collection in stoop, semi-squat, full squat and lunge postures respectively. Postures were analyzed using Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). Physiological aspects of plogging, as well as a comparison of physical activity assessment during jogging and plogging, were investigated using a Polar M430 optical heart rate monitor. Statistical analysis were performed using SPSS version 23. RESULTS:Mean±SD of full squat (5.13±0.59) and lunge (6.64±1.15) posture was found to have lesser risk score in comparison with the other two postures such as stoop (10.31±0.88) and semi-squat (8.11±1.40). Analysis from the Kruskal-Wallis and post hoc test showed that there is no significant interaction between the postures (p < 0.05). Paired Sample t-test showed that the energy expenditure for plogging and jogging are found to be similar (p > 0.05), but the fat percentages of calories burned is more in plogging (p < 0.05). Howerver plogging can be considered as a strenous activity as the % Cardiovascular strain of the activity had a mean value of (99.261%). CONCLUSIONS:Ergonomic interventions are needed to play a vital role in minimizing the musculoskeletal related injuries and the physical strain of the task.
Keywords: Plogging, postural assessment, physiological measures, rapid entire body assessment, cardiovascular strain, activity energy expenditure
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-205210
Journal: Work, vol. 72, no. 4, pp. 1337-1348, 2022
