Two WSSU graduate students design ergonomics program for mothers to reduce injuries while caring for children
Project wins 2024 Future Healthcare Legend Award
You’ve seen it time and time again: A mother balancing a young child on one hip with bags in her other arm. Not to mention all the lifting, bending and twisting mothers go through to get kids in and out of strollers and car seats.
This physical strain can take a toll on a mother’s shoulders, neck and back.
Two Winston-Salem State University graduate students, Cristina Sorensen of the occupational therapy program and Stefanie Ramsey of the family nurse practitioner program, have designed a training program to teach mothers how to avoid common injuries while caring for their young children.
Their project earned the Future Healthcare Legend Award at this year’s annual Healthcare Legends of East Winston Awards Luncheon, held Nov. 6 in the Donald J. Reaves Student Center on campus. The award comes with a $2,500 prize.
Sorenson and Ramsey are both mothers of young children and are familiar with the significant strain motherhood places on the body. “The lifting, carrying and repetitive motion that is required combined with body changes resulting from pregnancy put women at an increased risk of injuries in their shoulders, neck, back and wrist,” Sorenson said.
“We shared similar stories of the challenges of improper body mechanics in the post-partum period,” said Ramsey, which led to developing this program when the two applied for the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship.
In partnership with the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, the NC Area Health Education Centers and the Forsyth County Health Department, the program brings valuable education to the women of East Winston-Salem to help them prevent injury so they can care for their families without interruption.
“Our project aims to help women in East Winston-Salem avoid and manage pain/injury by teaching them about proper positioning while caring for their children. We are working with mothers with children under 6 years old because this is when much of the lifting and carrying is required,” Sorenson said.
The classes, based on an evidence-based curriculum, have reached about 40 participants to date through the health department. The program has also developed and distributed 3-D printed devices, such as grocery bag carriers, bag hooks for carts and strollers, and a device to reduce the strain of unbuckling car seats.
The prize award will go toward expanding the project by producing instructional videos, providing transportation to the classes and developing materials in Spanish, so that the program will continue long after the two graduate. Sorenson will graduate this December and Ramsey in May 2025.
Dr. Megan Edwards Collins, program director and professor of the WSSU Occupational Therapy Department, said it’s been an honor and privilege to work with both Sorenson and Ramsey, along with their mentors, Dr. Dionne Roberts from the nursing program and Rebecca Thompson from occupational therapy, on this project. “I have been impressed by their creativity and innovation, and know they are making an impact in the community,” she said.
“The project demonstrates a commitment to advancing public health through innovative, community-driven solutions that focus on preventative care and the enhancement of maternal well-being,” said Kevin Byers, chair of the Healthcare Legends Committee and assistant dean for administration, WSSU School of Health Sciences. “By empowering students to conduct continued research on proper child-carrying techniques, the project aligns with our mission to support initiatives that improve healthcare outcomes and foster the development of future healthcare leaders.”
“I am honored to stand beside Cristina in receipt of the Future Healthcare Legend Award,” Ramsey said. “Ergonomics in the post-partum period is oftentimes overlooked, causing fatigue, discomfort and even injury. Sharing the benefits of proper ergonomics to mothers in East Winston has been very rewarding. We look forward to using the award to further share our curriculum with community care professionals and more mothers within the community. I am excited about how far mothering and ergonomics will go.”
Click here to view photo gallery from the 2024 Healthcare Legends Awards.
