Head, trunk and arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching and toy play

Young children (ages 3 to 5) are using mobile touchscreen technology, including tablet computers, yet little is known on the potential musculoskeletal and physical activity implications of its use. This within-subject laboratory study (n = 10) examined head, trunk and arm postures, upper trapezius m...

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Main Authors: Howie, Erin, Coenen, P., Campbell, A., Ranelli, S., Straker, Leon
Format: Journal Article
Published: Elsevier 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/53982
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author Howie, Erin
Coenen, P.
Campbell, A.
Ranelli, S.
Straker, Leon
author_facet Howie, Erin
Coenen, P.
Campbell, A.
Ranelli, S.
Straker, Leon
author_sort Howie, Erin
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Young children (ages 3 to 5) are using mobile touchscreen technology, including tablet computers, yet little is known on the potential musculoskeletal and physical activity implications of its use. This within-subject laboratory study (n = 10) examined head, trunk and arm postures, upper trapezius muscle activity, and total body and upper limb physical activity during playing with tablets compared to during TV watching and playing with non-screen toys. Overall, this study found that during tablet play children had greater mean head, trunk and upper arm angles compared to both TV watching and toy play. Conversely, compared to toy play, children playing with tablets had lesser trunk, upper arm and elbow postural variation, lesser trapezius activity, more time sitting and lesser physical activity. Thus, to minimize potential musculoskeletal and sedentary risks, non-screen toy play should be encouraged and education and guidelines provided for parents and caretakers to support wise use of tablets.
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last_indexed 2025-11-14T09:57:17Z
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-539822017-09-21T06:15:51Z Head, trunk and arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching and toy play Howie, Erin Coenen, P. Campbell, A. Ranelli, S. Straker, Leon Young children (ages 3 to 5) are using mobile touchscreen technology, including tablet computers, yet little is known on the potential musculoskeletal and physical activity implications of its use. This within-subject laboratory study (n = 10) examined head, trunk and arm postures, upper trapezius muscle activity, and total body and upper limb physical activity during playing with tablets compared to during TV watching and playing with non-screen toys. Overall, this study found that during tablet play children had greater mean head, trunk and upper arm angles compared to both TV watching and toy play. Conversely, compared to toy play, children playing with tablets had lesser trunk, upper arm and elbow postural variation, lesser trapezius activity, more time sitting and lesser physical activity. Thus, to minimize potential musculoskeletal and sedentary risks, non-screen toy play should be encouraged and education and guidelines provided for parents and caretakers to support wise use of tablets. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/53982 10.1016/j.apergo.2017.05.011 Elsevier restricted
spellingShingle Howie, Erin
Coenen, P.
Campbell, A.
Ranelli, S.
Straker, Leon
Head, trunk and arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching and toy play
title Head, trunk and arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching and toy play
title_full Head, trunk and arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching and toy play
title_fullStr Head, trunk and arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching and toy play
title_full_unstemmed Head, trunk and arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching and toy play
title_short Head, trunk and arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching and toy play
title_sort head, trunk and arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching and toy play
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/53982