Affiliations: Industrial Engineering Department, Faculty of
Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Mohamed Zaki Ramadan, P. O. Box #
800, Industrial Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, King Saud
University, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia. Tel.: +9661 4676713; Fax: +9661
4678657; E-mail: mramadan1@ksu.edu.sa
Abstract: Objective: The goal of this research was to study the effect of
adjustable imported desk and chair combinations available in the market on
student performance. Methods: Six sets of chairs and tables within three
different activities (reading, writing, and looking to the blackboard) were the
independent variables. Evaluation of back force at 5th lumbar vertebrae and the
1st sacrum (L5/S1), subjective measures of discomfort, and the mismatch between
student body dimension and classroom furniture analysis were measured. Participants: A total of 124 young male students (first through sixth-grade)
participated in this experiment. Results: The results revealed too low or
too high chair and table heights relative to the students' body dimensions
increased the stresses acting at L5/S1 as well as discomfort ratings. Conclusions: This study indicated there was a high level of body mismatch in
desk-chair combinations even with the adjustable imported furniture available
in the local market. Anthropometric data of Saudi students should be collected
from different regions in the Kingdom and then design and development of
desk-chair combinations could follow the development of a standard procedure to
adapt to the needs of Saudi school children.
Keywords: School furniture, biomechanics, body part discomfort scale, human factors
