Digital human ergonomics training for remote office workers: Comparing a novel method to a traditional online format

Objective: This randomized controlled trial investigated the effectiveness of an online ergonomics training program with a digital human compared to an online ergonomics training program without a digital human. Method: Remote office workers (n = 138) were randomly assigned to either a digital human training, a traditional webpage training without a digital human, or a control group. Musculoskeletal discomfort, knowledge retention, and behavior change were measured. Results: The overall group differences for increased behavior change and knowledge retention were statistically significant (p < 0.05). For knowledge retention, the digital human training group showed comparable improvement in knowledge scores compared to the traditional training group. For behavior scores, the traditional training showed improvement compared to the control group. Decreases in musculoskeletal discomfort for all groups were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Digital humans have the potential to meet large-scale remote worker training needs.