Affiliations: Occupational Therapy Department, Faculty of Allied
Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait | Department of Kinesiology, San Jose State University,
San Jose, CA, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Musaed Z. Alnaser, PhD, OTR,
Occupational Therapy Department, Faculty of Allied Health Science, Kuwait
University, P.O. Box 31470, Sulaibikhat, Kuwait, 90805. Tel.: +965 498 3494;
E-mail: ot_alnaser@hsc.edu.kw
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if ratings of discomfort
differ over time between two ergonomic chairs of the same approximate cost.
Twenty participants from a metropolitan university sat on two types of
ergonomic chairs for 90~minutes in each of two sessions while performing
typing, reading, and writing tasks. Repeated measures three-way and two-way
analyses of variance were used to examine the effect of the ergonomic chair
design on rating of discomfort. Data were collected using the General Comfort
Rating Scale (GCRS) and the Body Part Discomfort Rating Scale (BPDRS), which
were administered at 0, 30, 60, and 90~minute marks of each session. The
results revealed: 1) discomfort was not related to the type of chair, 2)
discomfort increased over time, 3) discomfort was influenced by the task
performed while sitting, 4) discomfort level decreased when switching between
different chairs, and 5) most discomfort was reported in the low back and lower
arms.
