Introduction
muscular fatigue, shoulder pain
Neck and shoulder pain are common health problems related to the use of electronic devices including a tablet [With the main feature of tablets, the combined screen for data entry and display, resulting in a low viewing angle, users adopted more neck flexion and shoulder elevation during tablet use compared to during computer or laptop use [By tilting a tablet up from horizontal, neck flexion could be reduced because it elevated viewing angles [Prolonged time spent on electronic devices could cause localized muscular fatigue [The current research gaps were the limited understanding about how tablet tilt angles and the prolonged tablet writing influenced the neck and shoulder. The current study examined these gaps to clarify 1) if a 30° tablet tilt angle would be beneficial to prevent neck and shoulder problems during tablet writing, and 2) when tablet users should take a break. Therefore, the current study was aimed to compare posture, muscle activity and discomfort at the neck and shoulder between tablet writing with 0° and 30° tablet tilt angles over 40 minutes in healthy young adults. For the current hypotheses, there would be significant differences in the outcomes between 0° and 30° tablet tilt angles as well as among over the 40-minute task duration broken into four-time intervals. Ultimately, the findings would promote the comprehensive development of an ergonomic guideline for tablet users who are young adults.