Effect of Virtual Education Conditions on Musculoskeletal Status and Physical Activity of University Professors during the Corona Pandemic

Today, the outbreak of Covid-19 has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Following the Corona pandemic and home quarantine, restrictions have been imposed on individuals, especially in the country's education sector. Meanwhile, university professors are faced with the conditions of virtual education and changes in daily activities. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of virtual education conditions on musculoskeletal status and physical activity of university professors during the Corona pandemic

In the current descriptive research, standard questionnaires of Nordic musculoskeletal status and Beck physical activity were used. The statistical population included professors from Farhangian universities across the country, with 98 centers, of which 260 participated in the study. McNemar, paired, and Spearman correlation tests were used at the significance level of P≤0.05.

There was a significant difference between the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the neck, shoulders, back, and waist before and during the coronavirus pandemic (P≤ 0.05). Also, there was a negative correlation between neck and wrist disorders with work physical activity and between wrist and knee disorders with leisure and exercise physical activity (P≤ 0.05). There was a significant difference between the hours of using social media for leisure and education, using laptops and mobile phones, and the amount of night and day sleep before and during the corona (P≤ 0.05).

It seems that the current situation of the corona pandemic, led to changes in musculoskeletal health and type of physical activity of university professors. Communication tools and virtual education and the time spent on them have led to reduced physical activity in various dimensions of work, leisure, and exercise, the prevalence of some musculoskeletal disorders, and even changes in the university professors' sleep rate. It is suggested that university professors improve their regular physical activities and consider ergonomics of using learning assistant tools.