Authors (including presenting author) :
Shiu WH, Wong TK, Yau LM, Chao DVK
Affiliation :
Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, United Christian Hospital, Kowloon East Cluster
Introduction :
Although there is increasing evidence from overseas studies that screen viewing time is associated with obesity and musculoskeletal disorders, whether it is the case for our local health care workers (HCWs) remain far from clear. With the advancement in technology, HCWs are exposing to more and more screen usage during work and daily living. From a preventive perspective, exploring the relationships of HCWs’ screen viewing pattern and its impact on health can help family physicians to provide a tailor-made health education to HCWs.
Objectives :
1) To assess the screen viewing pattern and its correlation with body mass index (BMI) and musculoskeletal pain among HCWs in a staff clinic. 2)To provide insight for family physicians on giving advice to HCWs concerning screening viewing time as preventive care.
Methodology :
1) It was a self-administered questionnaire study conducted during the period from 18 Nov 2019 to 7 Dec 2019. All HCWs attending the Staff Clinic of our hospital were invited to join the study on a voluntary basis. 2) The questionnaire covered basic demographic data, working position, BMI, average daily and weekly screen viewing time, purpose of screen viewing, and types of devices used. Musculoskeletal pain possibly related to screen viewing was also recorded. 3) The level of physical activity was assessed by a simplified Active Australia Survey translated into Chinese.
Result & Outcome :
• There were 521 valid questionnaires analysed. 53% of HCWs that included doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, supporting staff, administrative staff and civil servants use 2-4 hours daily and 47% of them use 11-30 hours weekly for viewing screen. About 35% of staff used them for working and more than 50% of staff used them for entertainment and social purpose. HCWs with screen viewing time longer than 8 hours daily or 40 hours weekly were more likely to complain of musculoskeletal pain, and 46.5% of them has taken medication or consulted doctor. 83.5% of staff do not have adequate exercise regardless of their BMI range. In contrast to overseas studies, there is no clear relationship between the length of screen viewing time (in term of hours /day and hours /week) and BMI in our study. Family physicians should advise HCWs to avoid prolonged screen viewing in order to prevent musculoskeletal pain and encourage them to do more exercise.
