Workplace Conditions and Ergonomic Practices for Promoting Secretaries’ Physical and Psychological Health in Colleges of Education in Northeast Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Secretaries spend most of the working day at one desk, so the condition of the office and the fit of the furniture matter for their health. This cross-sectional survey tested whether office environment and ergonomic design predict the physical and psychological health of secretaries in public Colleges of Education in Northeast Nigeria. All 417 full-time secretaries in fifteen colleges were approached, and 338 returned the questionnaire (81.06%). Responses were analysed with means, standard deviations, and simple and multiple linear regression. Health ratings were favourable (M = 3.91 of 5), and psychological items scored higher than physical ones. Office environment (β = .222) and ergonomic design (β = .260) each predicted health but explained only 4.9% and 6.8% of its variance. Together they explained 7.4%, and only ergonomic design kept an independent effect (β = .198). Adjustable chairs, desks and workstation layout deserve first call on limited funds.

Keywords: office environment, ergonomic design, secretaries’ health, musculoskeletal strain, psychological well-being, Colleges of Education, Northeast Nigeria.