The effects of the seat cushion contour and the sitting posture on surface pressure distribution and comfort during seated work

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of the seat cushion contour and the sitting posture on the seat pan interface pressure distribution and subjective comfort perception. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Overall, 16 volunteers typed a text passage on a laptop while seated, by assuming 3 kinds of common sitting postures (forward, relaxed and upright) in 4 seat cushion configurations: chair only, and chair with 1 of 3 supplementary cushions. Pressure data and cushion comfort ratings were collected in the experiment. RESULTS: It was found that the sitting posture and the seat cushion contour had different impacts on surface pressure. The seat cushion contour had an impact on pressure parameters and pressure distribution on the seat pan, while the sitting posture affected the location of peak pressure on the seat pan. The correlation analysis revealed that the subjective comfort rating was significantly correlated with average pressure (AP) and mean peak pressure (MPP). CONCLUSIONS: The conclusion was that the cushion contour had a greater effect on seat pan interface pressure parameters than the sitting posture. Notably, AP and MPP can be indicators for assessing seat cushion comfort in a short-term perspective. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(5):675-89.