SITMATE: AN ANDROID MOBILE APPLICATION FOR THE PREVENTION OF MUSCULOSKELETAL DISCOMFORT AMONG CONCENTRIX WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

Anna Margarita Miling, Mary Sophia Bansale, Emmanuel Luis Manila, Mary Melissa Rayne Tuazon, Ramses Sonny Dagoy, Joseph James Hiso, Khio Jerick Jumarang
Purpose:

Since mobile devices are relatively commonplace for most office workers, the researchers found there was a lack of evidence-based exercise mobile applications to counteract inactivity from prolonged deskwork, which led to the researchers to create an application called SitMate that consists of evidence-based exercises which aims to prevent musculoskeletal discomfort among Concentrix Workforce Management personnel. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of SitMate for preventing work-related disability as compared to the control group with no intervention for a month.

Methods:

11 participants (18-40 years old) work as full-time Concentrix personnel that work-from-home were randomized into Control Group (CG)(n=5) & Treatment Group(TG)(n=6). The TG received one month intervention with the use of SitMate Application containing relaxation exercises, range of motion exercises and stretching exercises, with programmed notifications for postural correction while the CG continued their usual working schedule.

Results:

A slight improvement in the Treatment Group in the left shoulder, upper back, right forearm, right wrist based on the interquartile range obtained using Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire was noted during the course of the study. However, the results demonstrated that there were no significant differences between the two groups when accounting for all body parts that were measured using CMDQ.

Conclusion(s):

This study has shown that the SitMate application alone does not effectively reduce the prolonged sitting-related discomfort among Concentrix personnel after 1 month of intervention. Future studies to test the viability of SitMate as an intervention for prevent musculoskeletal discomfort would benefit from incorporating other musculoskeletal discomfort related factors such as ergonomics as either an inclusion or exclusion criteria, or as an additional parameter of study, a larger more homogenous sample size to better ascertain the true effect of the SitMate app, or a more stringent method of ensuring compliance to the intervention.

Implications:

SitMate is a viable starting point for an innovative way of integrating wellness and health promoting strategies with today's trend of near constant media consumption, utilizing the convenience and accessibility of smart devices as a way to better health.

Funding acknowledgements:
partially funded by university reimbursement, mostly funded out of pocket by the researchers (app creation and development)
Keywords:
application
exercise
musculoskeletal
Primary topic:
Innovative technology: information management, big data and artificial intelligence
Second topic:
Musculoskeletal
Third topic:
Health promotion and wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
UERMMMCI - Research Institute for Health Sciences Ethics Review Committee
Provide the ethics approval number:
RIHS ERC Code: 0930/C/2021/011
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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