Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| [b] Physical Therapy School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Felipe Mardones-Carpanetti, Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Av. Independencia 1027, Independencia, Santiago, Chile. E-mail: felipemardones@ug.uchile.cl.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a change of pedagogical strategies from on-campus to “online” modality (synchronous and asynchronous learning) and may influence the health of university students, including their mental workload. OBJECTIVE:To identify the association between mental workload, perception of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD), and the level of physical activity of Masters’s students’ online learning due to the pandemic. METHOD:This was a pilot descriptive study with a cross-sectional, quantitative, non-experimental study design. The sample consisted of 20 students. To collect the data, the participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, NASA-Task Load Index, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. RESULTS:The students presented mental workload at medium (45%) and high (55%) levels, with time demands as the most prevalent dimension. In addition, 80% of the students reported experiencing MSD in the last seven days, with the most frequent areas being the neck and lower back. Regarding the level of physical activity, five students had a low level (25%), five students had a medium level (25%), and ten students had a high level (50%) of activity. CONCLUSION:Most of the students (95%) conduct their master's degree along with maintaining a full-time job. Therefore, the adaptive requirements according to “time demands” is a negative factor because of its contribution to mental workload. Especially in addition to students’ perception of musculoskeletal discomfort, organizational aspects would be fundamental to prevent physical and mental health risks.
