Backpacks and school children's obesity: challenges for public health and ergonomics

This descriptive study of cross sectional has focused on analyzing the school material weight transported by students associated with children and adolescents overweight in primary and secondary schools. Participants 339 students of both genders, aged 10-19 years. 243 students carrying and average load of 12.65% of his body weight. 53 students were overweight with a BMI of 20,00 to 35,6. 20 overweight students carrying backpacks more than 10% of his body weight. 21% of the students rated complained of back and shoulder pain. This data is very important in the preventive aspects for the individuals studied, as well as others with the same anthropometric characteristics and the same demand.

Ergonomics work analysis applied to dentistry - a Brazilian case study

This paper presents the Ergonomic Work Analysis method in a Brazilian Dentist's office. Through the study, the constraints and the strategies in avoiding them were identified. It was found that dentists hardly use the position most indicated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Federation Dentaire Internacionale (FDI) for both the patient and the dentist, which is respectively supine and 9 o'clock, due to the limited space and layout. Five types of treatments performed by the professional have been studied. The frequency and duration of actions in these treatments were accounted for and the standard positions adopted were identified. The AET was found to be a very suitable method to grasp the dentist's activity and build a point of view of the profession, which is characterized as: stressful, perfectionist and restrictive. Time management is presented as an important strategy to control the tension arising from performing the treatments.

Design and ergonomics of package inserts of drugs in Brazil: a reality in construction

This research deals with the design of leaflets of medicines, evidencing the problems resulting from the lack of Brazilian normalization to promote the use of the graphical representation of instructional texts warnings. It approaches studies related to the effectiveness and efficiency of information systems, highlighting the semiotics and the cultural and informational ergonomics. The analysis of the context uses as method, an analytical study on selected warnings of thirty leaflets of medicines, followed by interviews lead with the public managers involved with the regulation of the pharmaceutical companies, and two experiments with users performed in city of Recife, in State of Pernambuco: one aiming at to identify how they interact with the leaflets of medicines, and the second one testing their understanding concerning standardized illustrations in the United States and the South Africa. The results show the need for improvements in presentation and graphic representation of leaflets of medicines, powering them to the role of communication, to ensure the consumption of medicine safely by its users. The conclusion congregates parameters and recommendations for the graphic representation of warnings in leaflets of medicines in Brazil.

Occupational ergonomics: Work posture among Brazilian dental students

This study involved observational assessment of work posture in relation to recommended ergonomic posture the requirements necessary for ergonomic posture among students in the final year of a degree program at the School of Dentistry of Araraquara-UNESP/Brazil (n =73) and investigation of the association of work posture with sex, the type of procedure, four-handed dentistry, and the region of the mouth being treated. The work posture of the students during 250 clinical procedures was observed by means of pictures. Each procedure received a posture classification: Adequate, partially adequate, or inadequate. A descriptive statistical analysis was conducted. The prevalence of final posture classification was calculated using 95% confidence intervals and point estimate. Associations of interest were studied using the chi-square test, with a 5% significance level. It was concluded that the prevalence of procedures performed with partially adequate posture was high, and that the final work posture classification was not associated with the variables of interest. © 2013 Taylor & Francis Group.

Brands Analysis Using Informational Ergonomics Concepts: A Proposal

Currently, a lot of visual information present in all media is form vehemently, for example, in print media and interfaces used for publicity in conjunction with informational design. This visual information has great influence in the life of human beings, since the vision of these individuals is the most used sense. Studies on visual identity have not explored this issue in a satisfactory manner, favoring thus the subject of this small development projects in the area. It is noted the need for analyzes to enable implementation principles of project, making them accessible to the comprehension of most individuals. This study aimed to propose an evaluation of visual identities, which were analyzed by means of visual concepts of usability, design methodologies and Gestalt. We contacted design firms specialized in visual identity projects, places where interviews were conducted to collect the brands allowed for analysis. The results point to a frequent demand for the employment of visual usability principles, design methodologies and Gestalt design in visual identities.

Ergonomics and interfaces of traditional information systems: packaging

The contemporary world is characterized, among other factors, by the influence of the new computer information systems on the behavior of individuals. However, traditional information systems still have interaction problems with users. The aim of this study was to determine whether the interaction aspects between user versus traditional information systems (particularly the graphics) have been fully studied. To do so, the ergonomic aspects and usability of such systems were reviewed, with emphasis on the problems of visibility, legibility and readability. From that criteria, the evolution of ergonomic studies of information systems was reviewed (bibliometrics technique); and examples of ergonomic and usability problems in packaging were demonstrated (case study). The results confirm that traditional information systems still have problems of interaction between human X system, hindering the effective perception of information.