allison mula - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by allison mula
Work-a Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation, Jun 27, 2018
There has been a recent trend in the integration of sit-stand option desks in the work place. Fea... more There has been a recent trend in the integration of sit-stand option desks in the work place. Fear-based advertising insinuating that sitting is the health equivalent of smoking has pervaded many work environments. As workers want to remain healthy and pain free, and employers want and need a healthy workforce, it appears that there is a pervasive trend of avoiding sitting as often as possible. Because work tasks that call for an extensive amount of sitting are often times computer-based, this 'standing is healthy' fad is most notably presenting itself at computer-based work stations. The understandably perceived simple fix to the dilemma of sitting, has been the introduction of the sit-stand desk. However, before we all throw out our chairs, it is important to discuss the past and recent research that indicates that prolonged standing can also have detrimental effects on the human system. It is crucial that we expand our idea of a healthy work environment to one that facilitates movement and change in position and empowers the worker to understand their role in their own musculoskeletal and physiological health and wellness, beyond the use of equipment. If we can replace the phrase, 'sitting is the new smoking' with the phrase, 'sedentary is the new smoking', then we can elucidate the idea of what a healthy computer-based work environment and routine would be.
With the ever-increasing rate of the integration of technology, and office workers making up the ... more With the ever-increasing rate of the integration of technology, and office workers making up the largest single sector of occupations, many workers are spending an increasingly large portion of their work time in the prolonged sitting or standing position and while on computer-based systems. Evidence-based research suggests that increased sedentary time is associated with diabetes, hypertension and other mortality causing diseases such as cardiovascular disease. There is a lack of occupational medicine considerations, specifically ergonomics, incorporated into the patient plan of care in the primary care setting. This is likely due to the decreased number of physicians specializing in occupational medicine (OM), and the lack of OM education in medical school curriculum. The current time constraints of the medical system may make the integration of additional screening seem unreasonable. With the introduction of occupational therapy as a contributing member of the primary care team, ...
In this poster session two research projects of P4Play in the area of people are described. Intro... more In this poster session two research projects of P4Play in the area of people are described. Introduction: The P4Play Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSC) Training Network is an innovative European Joint Doctorate (EJD) programme in Occupational Science for Occupational Therapists. This EJD was established in 2020 when 2.2 m was awarded to a consortium of researchers and play advocates, in the highly competitive Horizon2020 scheme. P4play is a collaboration between 4 academic universities in Ireland, Sweden, Scotland, and Switzerland, and 15 partner organisations in Europe and the USA. The P4play programme adopts a child's rights-based perspective and aims to investigate the nature of play through the lens of People, Place, Policy and Practice (P4Play). Background: After extensive scientific research, scholarly exploration, and discourse on play, a refocus on play as a right requires further study as a central concern (or occupation) in children's lives. Occupational Science, a scien...
Work-a Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation, Jun 27, 2018
There has been a recent trend in the integration of sit-stand option desks in the work place. Fea... more There has been a recent trend in the integration of sit-stand option desks in the work place. Fear-based advertising insinuating that sitting is the health equivalent of smoking has pervaded many work environments. As workers want to remain healthy and pain free, and employers want and need a healthy workforce, it appears that there is a pervasive trend of avoiding sitting as often as possible. Because work tasks that call for an extensive amount of sitting are often times computer-based, this 'standing is healthy' fad is most notably presenting itself at computer-based work stations. The understandably perceived simple fix to the dilemma of sitting, has been the introduction of the sit-stand desk. However, before we all throw out our chairs, it is important to discuss the past and recent research that indicates that prolonged standing can also have detrimental effects on the human system. It is crucial that we expand our idea of a healthy work environment to one that facilitates movement and change in position and empowers the worker to understand their role in their own musculoskeletal and physiological health and wellness, beyond the use of equipment. If we can replace the phrase, 'sitting is the new smoking' with the phrase, 'sedentary is the new smoking', then we can elucidate the idea of what a healthy computer-based work environment and routine would be.
With the ever-increasing rate of the integration of technology, and office workers making up the ... more With the ever-increasing rate of the integration of technology, and office workers making up the largest single sector of occupations, many workers are spending an increasingly large portion of their work time in the prolonged sitting or standing position and while on computer-based systems. Evidence-based research suggests that increased sedentary time is associated with diabetes, hypertension and other mortality causing diseases such as cardiovascular disease. There is a lack of occupational medicine considerations, specifically ergonomics, incorporated into the patient plan of care in the primary care setting. This is likely due to the decreased number of physicians specializing in occupational medicine (OM), and the lack of OM education in medical school curriculum. The current time constraints of the medical system may make the integration of additional screening seem unreasonable. With the introduction of occupational therapy as a contributing member of the primary care team, ...
In this poster session two research projects of P4Play in the area of people are described. Intro... more In this poster session two research projects of P4Play in the area of people are described. Introduction: The P4Play Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSC) Training Network is an innovative European Joint Doctorate (EJD) programme in Occupational Science for Occupational Therapists. This EJD was established in 2020 when 2.2 m was awarded to a consortium of researchers and play advocates, in the highly competitive Horizon2020 scheme. P4play is a collaboration between 4 academic universities in Ireland, Sweden, Scotland, and Switzerland, and 15 partner organisations in Europe and the USA. The P4play programme adopts a child's rights-based perspective and aims to investigate the nature of play through the lens of People, Place, Policy and Practice (P4Play). Background: After extensive scientific research, scholarly exploration, and discourse on play, a refocus on play as a right requires further study as a central concern (or occupation) in children's lives. Occupational Science, a scien...