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Byline: L. Hanson, M. Jeppson, P. Rafstedt, L. Yong, T. Falkmer Vehicle ingress is an important automotive industry issue. End-users and production line assemblers perform similar ingress tasks. In this study, comparisons were made of the car ingress motion in 40 subjects of different statures, acting both as assemblers and end-users. Half of the subjects were under 28 years of age and the remaining were over 60. Results show no significant differences in motion patterns between assemblers and end-users, i.e., slow forward motion of the car on the assembly line had no effect on ingress patterns. This suggests that ergonomic departments working either with end-users or assemblers may instead cooperate or even be fully integrated. Stature significantly affected joint angle distribution and joint angle velocity distribution. No stature effect was found on time to perform ingress movements or on ingress technique. Age significantly affected all test parameters and is thus an issue for developers to consider along with anthropometric variables like stature. To facilitate age analysis, manikins in digital human modelling tools should be able to replicate the physical characteristics of different age groups and the movement behaviour of older people.

The effects of manual control locations on two groups of randomly selected young and old drivers in relation to visual time off road, steering wheel deviation and safety perception were studied. The results showed an effect of both driversE age and button location on the dependant variables with older drivers spending longer visual time off road when pushing the buttons and had larger steering wheel deviations.

Background: Driving is a complex activity requiring highly integrated cognitive and perceptual functions that can be negatively affected following a stroke. The decision to continue or cease with driving after a stroke may not be exclusively dependent on deficits in cognitive and motor abilities. Instead, it is possible that social supports, alternative means of transportation, education level, income, self-regulation ability and the awareness of personal health problems may also influence the decision. Aim: The aim of this research was to explore the influence of personal and socioeconomic factors, in addition to existing cognitive impairment, on the decision of post-stroke adults to return to driving. Method: A case control design was employed to compare driving performance of 48 individuals who had experienced a stroke and 22 volunteer healthy control participants. Half of the post-stroke cohort (N=24) had continued driving and the other half had ceased driving. Socio-demographic and driving-related cognitive performance data were collected to characterise the comparison groups before driving performance was assessed in a driving simulator. Results: Overall, the post-stroke groups did not perform as well as the control participants in the cognitive and driving assessments. The perceived ability to drive after a stroke was not significantly correlated with participants' actual driving ability. Post-stroke adults were more likely to continue driving if they reported having a tertiary level education and a greater income. Conclusion: The decision to return to driving after a stroke is a complicated, multifactorial process. This study confirms previous research, which found that cognition and driving performance are impaired post-stroke. The findings also suggest that post-stroke drivers' decision to return to driving was not linked to their ability to drive, but more to socio-demographic and environmental factors. Further screening tools and assessments to identify those at risk when returning to the road post-stroke are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Signs and symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD) include a combination of slowness of movement, increased tone, tremor and loss of postural reflexes. Cognitive changes and dementia can also be found in older people affected by PD. The excessive expenditure of cerebral resources in multitasks can cause cognitive overload resulting in deterioration of functional performance. Previous research has highlighted that the balance of cognitive load is essential for safe driving; however, this has not yet been researched in relation to people with PD. Coupled with mental inflexibility and sluggish reasoning, PD drivers exposed to demanding traffic scenarios may reach dangerous levels of cognitive overload. The present study employed computation of arithmetic sums as secondary task to investigate the effect of cognitive overloading on older PD drivers. Methodology: A pre-post case-control study design was implemented. Convenience sample of 28 mild to moderate stages of PD drivers and 30 age-matched healthy controls were recruited and their motor and cognitive functions were assessed using the Digit Vigilance Test (DVT), Perdue Pegboard, Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and Trail-Making Test- Part A and B. Participants were then assessed twice using a driving simulator: with and without exposure to the secondary task. Results: When compared with healthy controls, PD drivers scored lower in motor and cognitive psychometric assessments and performed less competently in driving assessments. However, PD drivers drove more cautiously and took more time to complete all the driving tests when compared with the healthy counterparts. With the distraction of the secondary task, both the performance of PD drivers and controls declined, but PD drivers to a greater extent. The Trail-Making Test-B was found to be valuable in predicting the overall performance of PD drivers. The ability of PD participants was observed to have significant deterioration in driving through T-junctions and roundabouts. Conclusion: PD drivers should avoid cognitive overload caused by, for example, multitasking while driving. Cognitive overload may compound the problem of indecisiveness of the drivers; leading to inconvenience or dangers to other road users. Training of PD drivers should emphasize intersection manoeuvre management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demographic changes increase the need for fair and valid fitness-to-drive assessment in older drivers. In a self-report survey, 473 older drivers stratified by age (55–64, 65–74, >74 years) were asked about their driving habits, crash history, compensatory driver behaviour, and attitude towards age-based reassessment. The results showed an increase in the proportions of subjects reporting crash involvement and the subjects reporting full legal responsibility for the latest crash in older age groups. The reported use of different compensatory strategies and adaptation techniques was also higher in the older age groups. Medical fitness-to-drive screenings are not able to deal with the complexity of this paradoxical finding, because medical diagnoses do not take into account adaptation and compensation in older drivers. Age-based reassessments limited to medical screenings therefore carry an increased likelihood of false positive classifications that would unnecessarily reduce the quality of life of sufficiently safe older drivers. This risk could, however, be reduced by a client-centred approach focused on practical fitness-to-drive, providing older drivers with the opportunity to show whether they are able to cope with functional deficits in more realistic driving settings. Such an approach is in line with theoretical occupational therapy foundations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Repetitive and stressful work tasks have been linked to the development of pain in the trapezius muscle, although the underlying mechanisms still remain unclear. In earlier studies, it has been hypothesized that chronic muscle pain conditions are associated with imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, predominantly expressed as an increased sympathetic activity. This study investigates whether women with chronic trapezius myalgia show higher muscle activity and increased sympathetic tone at baseline and during repetitive low-force work and psychosocial stress, compared with pain-free controls. Methods Eighteen women with chronic trapezius myalgia (MYA) and 30 healthy female controls (CON) were studied during baseline rest, 100 min of repetitive low-force work, 20 min of psychosocial stress (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST), and 80 min recovery. The subjects rated their pain intensity, stress and energy level every 20 min throughout the experiment. Muscle activity was measured by surface electromyography in the trapezius muscle (EMGtrap) and deltoid muscle (EMGdelt). Autonomic reactivity was measured through heart rate (HR), skin conductance (SCL), blood pressure (MAP) and respiration rate (Resp). Results At baseline, EMGtrap, stress ratings, and HR were higher in MYA than in CON. Energy ratings, EMGdelt, SCL, MAP and Resp were, however, similar in the two groups. Significant main group effects were found for pain intensity, stress ratings and EMGtrap. Deltoid muscle activity and autonomic responses were almost identical in MYA and CON during work, stress and recovery. In MYA only, pain intensity and stress ratings increased towards the end of the repetitive work. Conclusion We found increased muscle activity during uninstructed rest in the painful muscle of a group of women with trapezius myalgia. The present study could not confirm the hypothesis that chronic trapezius myalgia is associated with increased sympathetic activity. The suggestion of autonomic imbalance in patients with chronic local or regional musculoskeletal pain needs to be further investigated.

Abstract Background Working while exposed to motions, physically and psychologically affects a person. Traditionally, motion sickness symptom reduction has implied use of medication, which can lead to detrimental effects on performance. Non-pharmaceutical strategies, in turn, often require cognitive and perceptual attention. Hence, for people working in high demand environments where it is impossible to reallocate focus of attention, other strategies are called upon. The aim of the study was to investigate possible impact of a mitigation strategy on perceived motion sickness and psychophysiological responses, based on an artificial sound horizon compared with a non-positioned sound source. Methods Twenty-three healthy subjects were seated on a motion platform in an artificial sound horizon or in non-positioned sound, in random order with one week interval between the trials. Perceived motion sickness (Mal), maximum duration of exposure (ST), skin conductance, blood volume pulse, temperature, respiration rate, eye movements and heart rate were measured continuously throughout the trials. Results Mal scores increased over time in both sound conditions, but the artificial sound horizon, applied as a mitigation strategy for perceived motion sickness, showed no significant effect on Mal scores or ST. The number of fixations increased with time in the non-positioned sound condition. Moreover, fixation time was longer in the non-positioned sound condition compared with sound horizon, indicating that the subjects used more time to fixate and, hence, assumingly made fewer saccades. Conclusion A subliminally presented artificial sound horizon did not significantly affect perceived motion sickness, psychophysiological variables or the time the subjects endured the motion sickness triggering stimuli. The number of fixations and fixation times increased over time in the non-positioned sound condition.

Background: Road vehicle transportation is essential to support community access and participation for all children. However, little is known about the transport patterns of children with disabilities and medical conditions and their caregivers' experiences supporting them to be transported safely in road vehicles in Australia., Aim: To understand the transport needs of children with disabilities and medical conditions and the transport needs of their caregivers., Materials and Methods: A large-scale national survey was undertaken online to explore the experiences and perspectives of 193 caregivers, identifying the challenges and needs associated with providing and supporting safe road transportation for their children., Results: Caregivers believed their child was missing out on participating in everyday life due to their transportation needs, with caregivers experiencing multiple challenges and barriers to transporting their child safely., Conclusions and Significance: There is a need to provide knowledge and support to caregivers who are primarily responsible for the safe transportation of their children with disabilities and medical conditions.

Background: Recently, it has been suggested that gender disparity in Occupational Therapy has to do with segregated gendered job norms that position female dominated professions as a 'step down' for many males. Interestingly, this suggestion was not underpinned by experiences of males in the profession., Aims and Methods: Thirteen male Occupational Therapists with a variety of backgrounds were invited to this Round Table research, focussing on the broader issue of the existing gender imbalance in Occupational Therapy., Results: Two themes emerged: ' The core values of the profession' , and ' Broadening the scope of the profession'; none of them suggesting that male/female imbalance was necessarily the most pressing issue., Conclusions: A gender-unrelated approach to everyday problem-solving was put forward to achieve increased diversity in Occupational Therapists' backgrounds, better reflecting the people they serve. By broadening the scope and the way the profession is presented, and encouraging innovative and more entrepreneurially driven approaches, diversity in the workforce could be further facilitated. These findings are discussed within the context of 'The mutual constitution of cultures and selves' model., Significance: Diversity in the Occupational therapy workforce could be further facilitated with a shift in focus away from the male/female perspective to an intersectional approach.