Anthropometric assessment of classroom furniture for Ghanain school children from two socio economic areas.

Abstract Children spend over 80% of their school time in a seated position yet, ergonomic principles are conservatively applied on adult work places without consideration to the school environment. This study assessed the compatibility of the school furniture of kindergarten and class one pupils in the Asokore Mampong and Oforikrom Municipalities, Ghana. A cross-sectional analytic study was used. The research covered four selected basic schools from two socioeconomic suburbs (relatively high and relatively low socioeconomic areas). The participants were chosen using stratified sampling. Anthropometric data were collected from 395 healthypupils during regular class lessons. The student furniture dimensions were taken and compared with their anthropometry to identify potential match or mismatch. For all sitting anthropometric parameters, students were seated in an upright position with 90º knees and elbow flexion. The findings revealed a considerable level of discordancy between the measured furniture and the anthropometrics of the learners due to the negligence of user anthropometry during the construction of educational furniture. The seat depth was too deep for 80.51% of participants, only 15.19% had appropriate seat depth. The seat to desk height had 25.06% match, 69.11% low mismatch and 5.82% high mismatch. The match percentages of seat desk clearance, seat width and desk depth were 72.91%, 66.08% and 36.46% respectively. The match percentages of seat height were 24.61% for low socio-economic area schools and 12.25% for high socio-economic area schools. The seat height was too low for 45.55% of pupils from low socio-economic area schools and 62.25% of those from high socio-economic area schools. The seat depth was too deep for 91.62% of pupils from low socio-economic area schools and 70.10% pupils from high socio-economic area schools. The study revealed considerable incompatibility between the classroom furniture and the body dimensions of the pupils. Thus, the classroom furniture require ergonomic improvements.