Investigating the Effect of Exposure to Whole Body Vibration on Mental Performances of 20-29 Years Old Male

Vibration, especially whole body vibration, is one of the most important physical harmful factors in industrial environments as well as vehicles. Exposure to whole-body vibration can cause different mental and physiological reactions in humans. This study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to whole body vibration on the mental performances of 20-29 years old males in laboratory conditions.

In this research, 32 male students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences with an average age of 22.19±2.6 years and a BMI of 20.23±2.21 kg/m2 participated. The acceleration of the whole body vibration was considered at three levels of low (0.53 m/s2), moderate (0.81 m/s2) and high (1.12 m/s2) according to the ISO 2631 standard at a frequency of 3-7 Hz. The mental functions of each subject were examined first in the vibration-free state and then at different vibration acceleration levels using the IVA (Integrated Visual and Auditory Continues) tool.  The heart rate of the subjects was also recorded by a digital heart rate monitor.

The results of this study showed that with increasing whole body vibration acceleration, visual and auditory attention decreased significantly (P<0.001). In addition, the heart rate and response time of the subjects significantly increased (P<0.001).

The results showed that whole body vibration is an effective factor in reaction time, mental functions and physiological parameters, which can reduce the accuracy of the work.