signs have basically been unaltered for years.
While manufacturing and inventory costs are important concerns, there are also costs involved in
products that do not reflect designs based on properly selected anthropometric data and ergonomics.
266 PARCELLS ET AL. JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH Vol. 24, No. 4
Without proper design, sitting will require greater
muscular force and control to maintain stability and
equilibrium. This, in turn, results in greater fatigue
and discomfort and is likely to lead to poor postural
habits as well as neck or back complaints. Most
important for schoolchildren, musculoskeletal stress
resulting from efforts to maintain stability and comfort of seating may make for a fidgety individual, a
condition not conducive to focused learning. Health
care providers can be instrumental in focusing attention on environmental influences that impact health.
Good posture facilitates lung expansion and reduces
organ crowding and strain on soft bones, tendons,
and muscles (10). While schools have implemented
health education programs (20) in an effort to introduce young people to health-promoting and healthprotecting behaviors, proper seating rarely gets the
attention it deserves