22% of students took online classes while seated on a

22% of students took online classes while seated on a bed, 14% sat on the floor: Godrej Interio study

Hosts webinar with educationists and healthcare experts to discuss how wrong posture is a cause of concern for the long-term physical and mental health of children

Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, announced today that its business Godrej Interio, India’s leading furniture solutions brand, in its recent survey, that children studying from home are facing long-term mental and physical health concerns due to bad posture.

The study ‘Taking care of children as they learn from home’ by Godrej Interio’s Workplace and Ergonomics Research Cell attempted to study the home-schooling behaviour of 350 school-going children of the age group of 3-15 years from across India. Parents who were a part of this research revealed that their children used gadgets for a minimum of 4–6 hours a day which is 2-3 hours more than what they did before schools closed on account of the lockdown. This upped screen time can increase the risk of physical health issues in children. The study also revealed that 52% of the children had daily online classes while 36% had classes four times a week and as a result, 41% children complained of eye strain issues.

In response, Godrej Interio hosted a webinar titled ‘Helping Children Adapt to Learning from Home’. The webinar educated parents and care givers on the best ways to create an environment crucial for the overall wellbeing of children as they learn from home, as the state governments continue to impose micro-lockdowns to arrest the pandemic. The webinar also highlighted the importance of ergonomic learning spaces, the need for sensory diets and physical activity to create an environment of healthy learning for children.

The session was held today in the presence of over 1700+ registered attendees. Participants witnessed leading educationists and healthcare experts explore the challenges and the plausible solutions to support parents in the endeavour.

The webinar which was moderated by Lt. Col. A. Sekhar, CDO, Jagran Education Foundation had an eminent panel consisting of Siddharth Rajgarhia – Director, DPS Nashik, Varanasi and LAVA Nagpur, Lina Ashar – Co-Founder, Korroboree, Chandni Bhagat – Child Psychologist, Fatema Agarkar – Founder, Agarkar Center of Excellence and Dr. Reena Valecha – Principal Ergonomist - Workplace & Ergonomics Research Cell, Godrej Interio. During the one-hour insightful webinar the panellists explored and deliberated upon the subject from multiple vantage points including home-schooling behaviour, healthy sitting posture for children, precautions while studying in free spaces. They also spoke about the importance of sensory breaks and using good-old pencil and paper as well as the physical-virtual hybrid model of learning as online learning is likely to stay for longer than we predicted. Dr Reena Valecha, also shared simple ways that parents and caregivers can ensure a healthy learning environment for children and the long term effects of having incorrect posture leading to musculoskeletal disorders.

Godrej Interio’s focus has always been towards making space for life, learning and pursuing passions. Through their intuitively designed products and solutions they hope to enrich the quality of their customers’ lives, every day and everywhere. Its Workplace and Ergonomics Research Cell regularly undertakes studies that are of critical importance to consumers so Godrej Interio may share the knowledge they gain with them and promote healthy ergonomic behaviours. This webinar is a step towards providing multiple perspectives from leading experts which would serve as a real-life guide for parents and caregivers when designing ergonomic learning spaces for their children.

Godrej Interio, through its myriad range of products and solutions has been supporting the education industry for over 30 years and has serviced over 15,000 educational institutions.

Godrej Interio launches research study

Godrej Interio launches research study: ‘Visual Ergonomics’

·         The whitepaper shed light on the recurrent Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) among

Indian workforce and shares a viewpoint to alleviate it.

·         Godrej Interio’s Workspace & Ergonomics research cell suggests an approach of assessment, correction, and prevention for employee well being at the workplace and tips to mitigate visual problems amongst office goers.

 Godrej Interio, India’s leading furniture solutions brand today announced the launch of its exclusive new research study: ‘‘Visual Ergonomics” that detail the ergonomic risk factors at workplaces to prevent computer vision syndrome. The data was gathered while doing the assessments of more than 500 individuals. The analysis included work profiles, gadget usage trends, and the postures.

Vision problems have increased in recent years, owing to excessive use of digital screens at work and home, be it the computer or mobile phones. The increased duration of computer and mobile-viewing experience has led to the development of several eye issues, ranging from visual fatigue and headaches to more complicated problems like dry eyes, blurred vision, double vision, irritation, watering, and so on.

The study digs deeper into the scientific causes of most vision problems and provides explanations for each to help office goers understand how to take good care of their eyes and maintain proper eye hygiene.

Sameer Joshi, Associate Vice President, Marketing (B2B), Godrej Interio “Digitization is at its fastest pace in today’s scenario and the use of laptops/computers as a primary tool at workplaces, academic institutions and homes has become the need of the hour. The use of these gadgets has made our lives simpler and efficient with easy access to information and communication with others. However, prolonged use of these gadgets comes with its own set of disadvantages. To address visual health challenges among computer users at an organisational level it is important to formulate comprehensive employee well being guidelines.”

 According to the research study, office employees spend at least 6 hours per day looking at a computer screen. 65% reported eye-strain and vision problems. 47% have headaches and fatigue. It also revealed that there is an excessive screen exposure among Indians, 70% of employees spend 6-9 hours every day in front of their gadget screens. There is also Inappropriate illumination levels 68% of workstations in Indian offices are improperly illuminated 58% had ‘not enough’ illumination 42% had excessive illumination. Adequate lighting ensures enough illumination for people to see printed, handwritten, or computer displayed content clearly without getting blinded by excessive lighting. On the other hand, an overly brightly lit room or dim lighting, big, open windows or overhead lights create a washout effect on the digital screens.

Another reason for CVS is Monitor placement – Workstation Ergonomics; a monitor placed in the wrong position can affect neck posture and can cause extra ocular pain symptoms like the neck, upper back, and shoulder pain. Excessive exposure to the gadget screen for extended periods can have a physical and physiological impact on the health & well being of employee.

 To address visual health challenges among computer users at an organisational level it is important to formulate comprehensive employee well being guidelines. The Workspace & Ergonomics Research Cell of Godrej Interio suggests a proactive approach of assessment, correction and prevention to address visual ergonomics at workplaces. These effective suggestions range from simple eye exercises and altering illumination levels in the workspace to regular and proper assessment and evaluation of employees’ visual status.

Assessment

An illumination audit of the office space could be looked at to reduce the common employee complaints and enhance staff productivity. An illumination audit will help assess the different lighting needs of the various work profiles, equip various spaces with optimal illumination levels and help enhance employee wellbeing

·         Ergonomic evaluations - Assessment of workplace ergonomics with recommendations for computer work and workstations

·         Employee vision screening - Visual evaluation of every computer-using employee on site at regular intervals must be made mandatory

·         Annual CVS check – A regular CVS check is recommended for employees. Often this can be covered within the regular health check procedures of organizations if they include an active eye healthcare element.

 Correction

Creating awareness is the key to address ergonomic challenges. This must be followed by the right training about the right habits, workstation arrangement, and digital hygiene that fit into the work routine. Additionally, imparting training on physical and mental fitness through basic relaxation techniques is also advisable to combat visual fatigue

Prevention

Prevention comes from awareness. This means educating employees on potential ergonomic issues. There are several ways organisations can address this, including:

·         Weekly communication on health tips targeting visual health

·         Doing regular eye camps in their premises or adding the same in annual health check-ups

·         Tracking and reviewing progress

·         Maintenance of visual and ergonomic conditions

While experts estimate the impact of CVS, office spaces needs to designed with a structured approach and a long-term perspective to prevent computer vision syndrome and other ergonomic risks faced by their employees.