• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.655-665
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• 2010

This study analyzed the effects of skinny jean on women's health by questionnaire survey and measuring the pressure experienced under the clothing and participants' subjective view of the pressure level. The average size women in their 20s' waists is 26 inches and so three pairs of jeans were prepared and worn by 4 female participants. A survey was conducted to investigate how often participants wear skinny jeans and whether they had had any feelings of discomfort as a result of this. Participants responded that they hadexperienced middle to high levels of discomfort due to the high pressure inside skinny jeans. For the maximum value of clothing pressures, jean f2 at the part of buttocks showed $48.7gf/cm^2$. The pressure inside the clothing was found to be highest around the buttocks followed by the knees and finally the belly. The mean values of 7 measuring parts are different according to the jean type; f3 $20.8gf/cm^2$ > f2 $16.4gf/cm^2$ > f1 $15.5gf/cm^2$, which is corresponding to the order of pressure sensation, but not corresponding to the order of ease amount of clothing pattern: f2 > f3 > f1. Mean pressure values were also measured according to the body posture: they were found to by highest when sitting on a chair (21.3gf/$cm^2$), second highest when sitting on the floor ($19.2gf/cm^2$) and lowest when standing ($15.0gf/cm^2$). This is not always same to the order of participants subjective perceptions of the pressure, which is, they estimated pressure to be highest when sitting on the floor followed by sitting on a chair and lowest in a standing position.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.42-49
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• 2009

This study examined the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and the vastus lateralis (VL) onset time differences (OTD) during quadriceps contraction in different hip positions. Twelve healthy subjects were recruited (four men, eight women). Surface EMG activities of the VMO and VL were measured during a quadriceps strengthening exercise in a long sitting condition and in a sitting at a chair with feet hanging condition. For each condition, subjects were tested in two hip positions (neutral and adduction). The OTD between the two muscles was calculated for each condition, by subtracting the onset time of the VL from the VMO. Therefore, the negative value of OTD represent earlier EMG onset of the VMO compared to the VL. The OTD was not significantly different between the hip neutral and the hip adduction position in the long sitting condition (p=.064). However, the OTD was significantly different between the hip neutral position ($15.83{\pm}109.51$ ms) and hip adduction position ($-5.58{\pm}121.08$ ms) during the sitting at a chair with feet hanging condition (p=.047). The negative OTD value in the hip adduction condition during quadriceps strengthening exercises is the result of earlier onset of the VMO than VL. Therefore, quadriceps contraction in the hip adduction position can prevent the risk of patella lateral tracking. We expect that quadriceps strengthening exercise in the hip adduction position will be a safe way to prevent patellofemoral pain syndrome resulting from abnormal patella lateral tracking.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.175-186
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• 2019

Objective: Non-specific chronic low back pain (NS-CLBP) has been related to abnormal trunk muscle activations, but literature reported considerable variability in muscle amplitudes of NS-CLBP patients during prolonged sitting periods. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the differences among homogenous NS-CLBP subgroups in muscle activity, using muscle co-contraction indices as a more objective approach, and their roles on pain development during a 1-hour period of prolonged sitting. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Twenty NS-CLBP subjects with motor control impairment (MCI) [10 classified as having flexion pattern disorder, and 10 with active extension pattern disorder], and 10 healthy controls participated in the study. Subjects followed a 1-hour sitting protocol on a standard office chair. Four trunk muscle activities including amplitudes and co-contraction indices were recorded using electromyography over the 1-hour period. Perceived back pain intensity was recorded using a numeric pain rating scale every 10 minutes throughout the sitting period. Results: All study groups presented with no significantly distinctive trunk muscle activities at the beginning of sitting, nor did they change over time when pain increased to a significant level. Both MCI subgroups reported a similarly significant increase in pain behavior through mid-sitting (p<0.001). However, after mid-sitting, they significantly differed from each other in pain (p<0.01) but did not differ in the levels of muscle activation. Conclusions: This study was the first to highlight the similarities in trunk muscle activities among homogenous NS-CLBP patients related to MCI and compared them to healthy controls while sitting for an extended period of time, and the significant increase in pain over the 1-hour sitting might not be attributed to trunk muscle activation.

• IE interfaces
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.82-88
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• 2002

A study was conducted to develop user-centered kitchen furniture and workspace to reduce fatigue and to prevent housewives's disorders such as low back pain and musculoskeletal disorders from housekeeping activities. A questionnaire survey and interview were performed on 150 households those live in 32Pyung-type($105m^2$) apartment in Seoul vicinity. Also actual housekeeping activities for 24 hours were video-taped for further motion analysis. Results of the study revealed that housewives complained the inconvenience and small size of storage space, and worksurface height as the most important problems to be considered for redesign. And they responded, if feasible, sitting is preferred over standing while they are working. After adapting a sit/stand chair in the kitchen, a physiological experiment measuring heart rate(HR) and oxygen consumption($VO_2$) as response variables was conducted to examine the effects of sit/stand chair in reducing physiological demand during housekeeping activities. The results showed that working on sit/stand chair reduced energy expenditures by maximum of 30% and 31.0% in terms of HR and $VO_2$, respectively. Also rearrangement of kitchen structure based on motion analysis showed that walking distance during daily housekeeping activities can be reduced by 5.5% on the average. Hence, it is concluded that adapting a sit/stand chair in the kitchen could reduce fatigue and occupational disorders of housewives from extended housekeeping activities.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Educational Facilities
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.17-26
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• 2007

This paper reviews KSG2010(Korean Industrial Standard for Student's Desk and Chair) compared to student's body size and suggests its new design guideline. It is found that the chairs are too high to sit straight up, and it is not easy to sit at student's ease because of backbone rest bar not existed in a right place. It is also found that the desks are too high to sit at desk to accept student legs under a drawer. So student's visibility range becomes decreased and it produces a harmful posture for eye protection. This paper also found that step number of student's desks and chairs needs to expand to 12 different steps inserted 5 steps between the existing 7 steps. A reason is that there is gap between the sizes of desk and chair and human height and width. Another reasons is that it is difficult to arrange desks and chairs appropriated to student body sizes in a class room.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.167-187
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• 2010

In this paper, the research is carried out about a couch, a horse foot chair, a horse foot table, and a multi-leg table among the furniture of Koguryeo. The couch had been widely used from the Chinese Han Dynasty, and the couch of the Koguryeo was influenced by that of Han. The couch of Koguryeo was a piece of furniture which was used not only for sitting purposes but also for symbolizing status ranking. The horse foot chair is a chair whose leg is finished with a horse foot shape, and is a relic which shows an aspect of the art exchange between the East and the West, appearing in Egypt and Mesopotamia, having influence on chairs of Greece and Rome, and being introduced into Koguryeo and Japan by way of the countries bordering on Western China and China. The horse foot chair was used by the royalty, the aristocracy and the priesthood, and use of the chair at that time reflects the effect of Buddhist culture. The horse foot table is a piece of furniture whose leg is finished with a horse foot shape as in the horse foot chair, and there are many instances that it is used together with the horse foot chair. The multi-leg table is configured to have a square plate, plural legs and footstool, and is used by the upper classes, being also influenced by China. In this paper, the study about the furniture of Koguryeo, which has not been closely considered up to now, is performed, and is important as a study about origin of Korean furniture. In the future, the research about succession of the furniture of Koguryo to that of Koryeo period should be carried out, and much more research material be investigated.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.314-320
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• 2019

Background: Sitting posture may be related to risk factors, including inadequate weight-bearing support, particularly when maintained for long periods. Considering that body weight is loaded in a closed support system composed of the seat, backrest, floor and working surface, the aims of the present study were to describe the development of an ergonomic sitting workstation to continuously record weight-bearing at the seat, chair, backrest, work surface, and floor and to test its measurement properties: reproducibility, criterion-related validity, and sensitivity. Methods: Rigid bodies (1 to 30 kg) and participant weights were recorded to evaluate the workstation measurement properties. Results: Rigid body tests showed variation values less than 0.050 kg on reproducibility test and errors below 5% of measured value on criterion validity tests. Participant tests showed no statistically significant differences between repeated measures ($p{\geq}0.40$), errors were less than 2% of participant weights an sensitivity presented statistically significant changes (p = 0.007). Conclusion: The sitting workstation proposed showed to be reliable, valid and sensitive for use in future ergonomic studies to evaluate the sitting posture.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• 제13권6호
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• pp.165-173
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• 2019

This study aims to examine the moderating effects of band circuit training for the mortality improvement of elderly women to provide an effective exercise moderating program for the enhanced quality of life of the elderly. To achieve the purpose of this study, the moderating effects of 8 weeks of band circuit training in the Senior Fitness Tests (SFT) and Sitting Rising Tests (SRT) of elderly women ages 65 and older in Y city were examined and the following results were gained. The functional fitness of elderly women according to the moderating effects of band circuit training (sitting down in a chair and standing up, lifting 2 kg dumbbells, walking in place for 2 minutes, sitting in a chair and bending forward, hand holding behind one's back, walking back and forth for 2.44 m) and the Sitting Rising Test (SRT) displayed statistically significant interaction effects among measurement times and groups and positive improvements were shown in the test group after band circuit training moderation. These research results show that band circuit training moderation has a positive effect on functional fitness and SRT, which are associated with the mortality rate of the elderly, and thus it can be applied as an effective exercise moderation program for the improvement of quality of life through the mortality improvement of the elderly.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제26권6호
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• pp.449-452
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the coordination between trunk flexion and lower limb extension contributing to vertical propulsion during sit-to-stand (STS) at different chair heights in the elderly. Methods: Ten elderly subjects were asked to stand up at their natural speed from different chair heights : (1) $90^{\circ}$ knee flexion; (2) $100^{\circ}$ knee flexion; (3) $110^{\circ}$ knee flexion; and (4) $120^{\circ}$ knee flexion. A standard chair without a backrest or armrests was used in this study. To remove inertial effects of upper limb movements, subjects were asked to stand up from a chair with their arms crossed at the chest. Mean of results of three trials were used in the analysis at different knee flexion angles. Distances moved by the shoulder for compensatory trunk movement was recorded by motion analysis and vertical force was recorded under foot using force plates. Distances moved by the shoulder and vertical ground reaction force measurements were analyzed using repeated ANOVA. Results: Distances moved by the shoulder significantly decreased with higher chair (p<0.05). Vertical forces were not significant difference on chair heights (p>0.05), but results of pairwise comparisons for vertical force revealed significant difference between $90^{\circ}$ knee flexion and $120^{\circ}$ knee flexion (p<0.05). Conclusion: Trunk movement is probably used as a compensatory mechanism at low chair heights to increase lift-off from sitting by the elderly.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.167-174
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• 2010

In this study, the optimal position for the backrest pivot of an office chair was investigated by evaluating its performance in terms of the lumbar support and sliding distance of the back from the backrest during tilting motions. The simulation was performed using a mathematical model, which included a human body and a chair. Forty-two backrest pivot points were selected on the sagittal plane around the hip joint of a sitting model. A motion analysis study was also performed using a prototype of an office chair (A-type) with a backrest pivot located on the hip joint of a normal Korean model and a typical office chair (B-type) with its pivot located under the seat. The simulation results showed that both the lordosis angle and the slide distance of the back were minimized when the backrest pivot was positioned close to the hip joint. The experimental results showed that the slide distance and gap between the sitter's lumbar and the backrest was smaller with the A-type than the B-type. Based on the simulation and experimental results, it can be concluded that the backrest can support the sitter's lumbar area more effectively as the pivot position for reclining approaches closer to the hip joint. In this position, the sitter can maintain a comfortable and healthy sitting posture. This paper presents the methods and guidelines for designing an office chair with ergonomic considerations.