Health risks with teachers' computer use: some New Zealand observations

With the increased use of computers, and particularly with the increasing use of the Internet in schools, health and education professionals have suggested the need for teachers and students to be ergonomically conscious when using computers. A project was conducted in 1999 to investigate the extent of awareness of health risks associated with computer use in schools of principals, teachers, and administrators of all the primary and secondary schools in Otago and Southland, New Zealand. Results in this study show that although a high proportion of the respondents were aware of these issues, few people took any active preventive measures or participated in any professional development to reduce these health risks. It was also found that nearly two thirds of the school administrators, more than half of the teachers, and nearly 30% of the principals in this study had experienced some kind of health problems related to computer use. Strategies to deal with these issues such as the need for professional development are also discussed in this article.