Gyroscope sensor data of shank motion during normal and barefoot walking.

In recent years, shank angular velocity (SAV) has emerged as a valuable tool for accurate temporal gait analysis and motion pattern assessment. To explore SAV among healthy subjects and its capability to distinguish differences between walking conditions, three-dimensional SAV data was measured with a gyroscope sensor during normal and barefoot walking. The resulting dataset contains measurement data from 58 healthy adult subjects aged 19 to 75 years.

The Definition of Informatics Competencies in Finnish Healthcare and Social Welfare Education.

Finland is a world leader in the use of public electronic services. Continuous improvement to competencies is a prerequisite for the success of digitalisation in the service development sector. The increasing use of information technology in health and social care needs to be taken into account in the education of the health and social care sector work force.

Education in care and technology, a facilitator of interdisciplinary research and development.

Objective: Application of technology in care is hindered by two factors; a critical attitude of care professionals towards the use of technology as part of care delivery and a lack of knowledge of care practice by technology developers. Technological developments may provide adequate solutions to support care provision. The principles of user centred design and development, traditionally used in the development of assistive technology, may provide powerful tools to support care provision.

Developing User-Centered Continuous Professional Education for ATD Service Personnel.

Background: Finnish Assistive Technology Device Service centers raised the question about education to the full-time workers of ATD Services. They nominated a group which included representatives of universities, ATD Service centers and national authorities. This small group drew up background questionnaires concerning the education, its content and length.

Association between Information and Communication Technology Usage and the Quality of Sleep among School-Aged Children during a School Week.

Objective. To determine the association between intensity of information and communication technology (ICT) usage and quality of sleep in school-aged children during a school week. Methods.

Musculoskeletal symptoms and computer use among Finnish adolescents--pain intensity and inconvenience to everyday life: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Musculoskeletal symptoms among adolescents are related to the time spent using a computer, but little is known about the seriousness of the symptoms or how much they affect everyday life. The purpose of the present study was to examine the intensity of musculoskeletal pain and level of inconvenience to everyday life, in relation to time spent using a computer.

Methods: In a survey, 436 school children (12 to 13 and 15 to 16 years of age), answered a questionnaire on musculoskeletal and computer-associated musculoskeletal symptoms in neck-shoulder, low back, head, eyes, hands, and fingers or wrists.

Computer-associated health complaints and sources of ergonomic instructions in computer-related issues among Finnish adolescents: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The use of computers has increased among adolescents, as have musculoskeletal symptoms. There is evidence that these symptoms can be reduced through an ergonomics approach and through education. The purpose of this study was to examine where adolescents had received ergonomic instructions related to computer use, and whether receiving these instructions was associated with a reduced prevalence of computer-associated health complaints.

Do ergonomically designed school workstations decrease musculoskeletal symptoms in children? A 26-month prospective follow-up study.

Workstations at school are among several factors that contribute to musculoskeletal symptoms among school-aged children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ergonomically designed workstations on schoolchildren's musculoskeletal symptoms as compared to conventional workstations. In the first 14-month phase of the study (2002-2003, two schools), 42 from the intervention and 46 from the control school participated.

Early risk factors for lumbar discectomy: an 11-year follow-up of 57,408 adolescents.

There is a lack of longitudinal studies on the risk factors of lumbar discectomy. Using combined population survey and hospital discharge register data in a prospective longitudinal design, we investigated the association between adolescent risk factors and lumbar discectomy until early middle age. A prospective cohort of health survey respondents (n = 57,408) aged 14-18 years was followed for 651,000 person-years (average follow-up, 11.

Predictors of low back pain hospitalization--a prospective follow-up of 57,408 adolescents.

Low back pain (LBP) is common among adolescents and it has been estimated that one-fifth of adolescents suffer from recurrent severe LBP. However, longitudinal studies describing the risk factors of LBP are scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether health, physical activity and other health behaviors, socio-demographic background and school success predict LBP hospitalization until early middle age.

The working postures among schoolchildren--a controlled intervention study on the effects of newly designed workstations.

Background: School workstations are often inappropriate in not offering an optimal sitting posture. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of individually adjustable saddle-type chairs with wheels and desks with comfort curve and arm support on schoolchildren's working postures compared to conventional workstations.

Methods: Ninety-seven participants aged 12-16 years were followed for 1 year, 47 at an intervention school and 50 at a control school.

Use of information and communication technology (ICT) and perceived health in adolescence: the role of sleeping habits and waking-time tiredness.

The first aim for this paper was to examine gender and age differences in the intensity of usage of information and communication technology (ICT: computer for digital playing, writing and e-mailing and communication, and Internet surfing, and mobile phone). Second, we modelled the possible mediating role of sleeping habits and waking-time tiredness in the association between ICT usage and perceived health (health complaints, musculoskeletal symptoms, health status). The participants were 7292 Finns aged 12, 14, 16 and 18 years responding to a postal enquiry (response rate 70%).

Frequent computer-related activities increase the risk of neck-shoulder and low back pain in adolescents.

Background: Neck-shoulder pain (NSP) and low back pain (LBP) increased among adolescents in the 1990s and the beginning of 2000. A potential risk factor for this increase is the use of information and communication technology. We studied how the use of computers, the Internet, and mobile phones, playing digital games and viewing television are related to NSP and LBP in adolescents.