A questionnaire on the health effects of new technical equipment

This questionnaire study was aimed at finding out how new technical equipment affects the ergonomic health aspects of the working-age population. The study was carried out as a cross-sectional study by posting the questionnaire to 15 000 working-age Finns. The total number of participants was 6121. The questionnaire included 21 multiple choice questions on familiarity and usage of new technical devices (e.g. computers, mobile phones and digital televisions), prevalence of physical and mental symptoms, accidents associated with mobile phone use and an open-ended question on health and new technology. In statistical analyses of all data the usage of desktop computer and the usage of portable computer or mini-computer did not have influence on any physical symptoms. The influence can only be seen together with two-way interactions. The psychological symptoms were present in one- and two-way interactions. In the women’s age group of 41–50, the combined effects for usage of desktop computer and the usage of portable computer or mini-computer increase. For male subgroup the psychological symptoms increase only in the oldest age group (51–60).Relevance to industryA large-scale questionnaire offers a good reference for evaluating the prevalence of the symptoms from the use modern electrical devices. Finland is one of the leading countries in the design and utilization of electronics and thus offers an interesting viewpoint on such issues.