Effect of school furniture design and traditional sitting habits,On sitting postures of middle school pupils in Touet region - Algeria

摘要

An ergonomic study on sitting posture of middle school pupils was carried in the Touet region of Algeria during spring - autumn 2007. The study focused on: a) School furniture (table and chair) design and dimensions. b) Traditional sitting postures at home and in traditional Koranic school. c) Ten anthropometric measurements were taken on a sample of 544 middle school pupils aged 12-17, of both sexes. The study revealed the following results: 1) Two models of school furniture used in middle schools of Touet region were inadequate with the sitting dimensions of both girls and boys of the sample. 2) Traditional sitting postures shaped the sitting behaviour of pupils and their physiological reaction to sit-down in a (specific) manner, not adequate with the middle school furniture. 3) The body size and anthropometric dimensions of pupils were inadequate with school table and chair/stool dimensions. It is therefore concluded that, traditional postures and anthropometric dimensions of boys and girls of the Touet region, should be taken into account when designing school furniture.