E-Learning and Body Aches among Palestinian University Students during Covid-19 Pandemic: The Effects of Several Behavioural Changes

ABSTRACT

Background/Objective: COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in the current century. During the COVID-19 lockdown, most countries switched their education methods to e-learning. The use of different electronic devices for e-learning for long hours is associated with several musculoskeletal pain that varies based on the sitting position the students use during e-learning. The aim of our study is to examine the association between different body position used during the e-learning and the different body aches experienced by the students. We also aimed to examine if several types of behavioral modifications and/or exercise practices by the students might minimize body aches associated with e-learning. Method(s) The subjects of this study were students from An-Najah university in Palestine. 385 questionnaires were filled using Google forms questionnaire and all subjects were using e-learning due to COVID-19 pandemic. Result(s) Our study showed that a large percentage of participants experienced musculoskeletal pain during the use of electronic devices for e-learning. The location and severity of pain was correlated with the sitting position used during e-learning. Furthermore, behavioral changes during e-learning like taking breaks and changing sitting position minimized the experienced pain during e-learning but no significant decrease in pain was observed by engaging in several exercise practices. Conclusion(s) The university students that participated in this study had an increase in body aches during the e-learning process that is associated with their sitting position. Awareness programs should be lunched to university students to help them minimize this pain based on behavioral changes and proper exercise training during the e-learning. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.