Ergonomics and aging: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Despite the prevalence of publications focusing on the trends of the studies on ergonomics, the information of the aging focused studies within these publications is limited.

OBJECTIVE:

This study aims to provide general information regarding the trends of the studies on ergonomics and aging by using bibliometric analysis techniques and to provide a general view regarding to the development of this field.

METHODS:

The bibliometric data of the publications on ergonomics and aging were retrieved from the WOS Database and analysed by using the Bibliometrix extension of the R Packet Programme. For the visualisation of the bibliometric data, the Vosviewer programme was used.

RESULTS:

Analysis results of the 405 papers published between the years of 1979 and 2020 show that main themes were digital human modelling, design for all, workplace ergonomics, transport and vehicle design, kitchen design, human factors, care and vision in old age.

CONCLUSIONS:

The content of the studies on ergonomics and aging changed from basic elements of ergonomic design for older people to the investigations about computer-aided applications and the effect of the developing technology. Therefore, it can be said that the studies on ergonomics and aging are changing parallel to the development of the technology.

Keywords

Ergonomics old age aging gerontology bibliometric

1 Introduction

Ergonomics is a field which aims to generate products to optimize preventions and performances by considering psychological, social, technical and organisational needs of a population [1]. Its central focus is to provide an interaction between people and the system in which they live, work and carry out their daily activities [2, 3]. According to the ergonomic perspective, continuity of the functionalities of aging people is a matter of priority and the distinction between comfort and independence should be considered while taking into account their importance [4]. Aging leads to functional changes on the body such as a reduced lifting capacity [5]. As the quality of life of older people is associated with functional capacity, for them it means they are less independent and autonomous [6]. The ergonomics play a role on improving these skills and supporting the quality of life of older people.

This article aims to present quantitative and visual analysis of the studies on ergonomics and aging with the bibliometric techniques. Bibliometric analysis is a technique used to map the scope of information [7], to define productivity [8] regarding a given area. In other words, it is the analysis of highly cited authors, publications and institutions and countries according to the citation data. This analysis is important because it helps us understand the research trends and define the focused topic of a specific subject [9, cited by 10, p.4]. In this way, it provides an opportunity to determine the universality, leading issues and gaps within the area of study [11]. In addition, since the change in the number of citations doesn’t provide a clear foresight, it is accepted that the keyword analysis contributes to understanding the future directions of the field [13 –15].

Although there are several studies on ergonomics and related fields using bibliometric analysis [16, 17], there is no publication regarding the development of ergonomics and aging using bibliometric analysis techniques. However, with the aging population, ergonomics becomes an inevitable need for elderly people’s harmony with the environment they live in and their well-being. Knowing in which direction the studies on ergonomics and aging in the world continue will serve as a road map for the next steps.

2 Methodology

2.1 Data

ISI Web of Science is a scientific citation index which provides the possibility for a detailed citation analysis on a given subject [18]. The data in this study was retrieved from the ISI WEB of SCIENCE Database without a time span limit. (According to the WOS Database it comprises the time span between 1970 and 2020) by using “(“ergonomics”) AND (“aging” OR “old age” OR “elderly” OR “older”)” keywords. The search terms were determined by searching each of the keywords independently and the final decision was made according to the number of publications listed on the Web of Science Search Page. It was found that if only one of the terms was used then the number of publications listed would be very restrictive (for instance: “(“ergonomics”) AND (“old age”) only 5 papers are listed). Therefore, the search was performed by using multiple related keywords mentioned above on 9 September 2020 in a single day to avoid bias caused by daily database updates. If the title, abstract or keywords include the subjects of the search, that means the article will be included in the papers which will be analyzed. At first, we accessed 470 publications, The two authors independently performed the study selection and data extraction. Differences of opinion were settled with collaboration with the opinions of the third authors. After application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final number of papers was reduced to 405.

2.2 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

The publications with samples that included people 50 years of age and older; if the study type is comparative then the publications including both older and young individuals are included within this study. Because the analysis focused on the publications on aging and ergonomics, the studies whereby the primary caregivers are not older people, and also the studies which only focused on the younger care providers were excluded. The data retrieved without language or publication type limitations. The articles in other languages with English abstract were reviewed and included if they are relevant. In addition, the review type of studies regarding ergonomics and aging were also included within the analysis.

2.3 Analysis

The analysis of the data is made by using Bibliometrix R package and VOSviewer, the data was analyzed and vizualized.

3 Findings

3.1 General characteristics of the publications

As a result of applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 405 publications were identified for bibliometric analysis. The timespan of the final set of papers is between 1979 and 2020. The oldest publication was published by Oldfield [20] about implications and policy suggestions to the local authorities regarding ergonomics and aging; the newest publication was published by Werner et al. [21] about the care transition process of older people including more gerontechnological features.

3.1.1 Annual production of the publications

The distribution by year of the number of scientific ergonomics and aging publications is shown in Fig. 1. This chart demonstrates that the number of studies published on this subject has increased since 2009. The highest number of publications occurred in 2015 with 45 publications, followed by 2016 with 36 publications.

Fig. 1

Annual scientific production of publications on ergonomics and aging.

3.1.2 Total citation distribution

The distribution of the annual total citation of the publications is shown in Fig. 2. The figure shows the total citations in a year for the whole group of papers. The highest number of ergonomics and aging references were cited in 2000. This is followed by the years 1994 and 2004. The chart indicates that the interest in ergonomics and old age has increased in these years.

Fig. 2

Annual total citations.

Map 1

Co-occurence networks of the keywords.

3.2 Research area

Journals with the highest number of publications on ergonomics and aging as research areas are shown in Table 1. When classified according to research areas, it can be seen that the majority of the publications are in the field of ergonomics and industrial engineering. The applied psychology category includes the psychological dimension of ergonomics; the occupational health and gerontology fields, point to labor force issues in old age. Other fields not shown in Table 1 include fields such as geriatrics, social sciences and transportation technologies.

Table 1
The most productive research fields in ergonomics and aging

Rank Field Number of publications

1 Ergonomics 135

2 Industrial Engineering 110

3 Applied Psychology 80

4 Occupational Health 61

5 Multidisciplinary Engineering 27

6 Psychology 27

7 Computer Programming –Artificial Intelligence 25

8 Gerontology 24

9 Computer Sciences-Sibernetics 19

10 Computer Sciences-Interdisiplinary Applications 18

Rank	Field	Number of publications
1	Ergonomics	135
2	Industrial Engineering	110
3	Applied Psychology	80
4	Occupational Health	61
5	Multidisciplinary Engineering	27
6	Psychology	27
7	Computer Programming –Artificial Intelligence	25
8	Gerontology	24
9	Computer Sciences-Sibernetics	19
10	Computer Sciences-Interdisiplinary Applications	18

3.3 Keywords

The relationships between the keywords are shown in Map 1, which shows the co-occurence network of the keywords, which means that the strongly connected keywords are much closer and the weakly connected keywords are more distant from each other. In this way, the clusters with different colors representing the subfields within ergonomics are shown [22, p.23].

In Map 1, ergonomics is located at the center of the map and related to all other keywords. The size of the circle represents the prevalence of the term within the studies about ergonomics and aging. The red cluster shows that the keywords “human factors”, “design for all”, “inclusive design”, “universal design”, and “product design” are much more prevalent within the studies. The yellow cluster includes the usability, aging and gerontechnology studies.

The cluster regarding the human factors was represented with red circles and forms a cluster with inclusive design, design, design for all and product design keywords. All of these cluster are seen as linked to mainly ergonomics and more distantly related to the older workers, occupational health, and accesibility keywords.

Gerontechnology forms a cluster with usability and aging. Nevertheless, all of the keywords are connected to ergonomics as the conceptual background of the field [23, 24].

3.4 The most cited publications

According to Table 2, the most cited publication is the study of Parker et al. [25] regarding older drivers in order to evaluate their behaviors and attitudes in traffic in parallel to the study of Burrnett and Porter [26] on the non-visual use of the cars. In addition, the studies of Pohjonen [27] and Sluiter et al. [28] follow this study with publications on work tasks. In these publications, the workers’ ability to work is affected by the age, ergonomic structure of workplace, and the structure of the work. In addition, the physical, mental, and psychosocial subdimensions of the work demands were emphasized. Changes that occur with advancing age affect the meeting of these dimensions [29].

Table 2
The 10 most cited publications on ergonomics and aging

Rank Web of Science citations Author Title Year

1 112 Parker et al. Elderly Drivers and Their Accidents: the Aging Driver Questionnaire 2000

2 91 Pohjonen Perceived work ability of home care workers in relation to individual and work-related factors in different age groups 2001

3 89 Sluiter High-demand jobs: Age-related diversity in work ability? 2006

4 84 Holtermann et al. Worksite interventions for preventing physical deterioration among employees in job-groups with high physical work demands: Background, design and conceptual model of FINALE 2010

5 71 Burnett and Porter Ubiquitous computing within cars: designing controls for non-visual use 2001

6 70 Peebles and Norris Filling ‘gaps’ in strength data for design 2003

7 68 Stattin and Jarvholm Occupation, work environment, and disability pension: A prospective study of construction workers 2005

8 67 Holden et al The patient work system: An analysis of self-care performance barriers among elderly heart failure patients and their informal caregivers 2015

9 56 Ma et al. Personal and other factors affecting acceptance of smartphone technology by older Chinese adults 2016

10 50 Cappon et al. Wearable continuous glucose monitoring sensors: A revolution in diabetes treatment 2017

Rank	Web of Science citations	Author	Title	Year
1	112	Parker et al.	Elderly Drivers and Their Accidents: the Aging Driver Questionnaire	2000
2	91	Pohjonen	Perceived work ability of home care workers in relation to individual and work-related factors in different age groups	2001
3	89	Sluiter	High-demand jobs: Age-related diversity in work ability?	2006
4	84	Holtermann et al.	Worksite interventions for preventing physical deterioration among employees in job-groups with high physical work demands: Background, design and conceptual model of FINALE	2010
5	71	Burnett and Porter	Ubiquitous computing within cars: designing controls for non-visual use	2001
6	70	Peebles and Norris	Filling ‘gaps’ in strength data for design	2003
7	68	Stattin and Jarvholm	Occupation, work environment, and disability pension: A prospective study of construction workers	2005
8	67	Holden et al	The patient work system: An analysis of self-care performance barriers among elderly heart failure patients and their informal caregivers	2015
9	56	Ma et al.	Personal and other factors affecting acceptance of smartphone technology by older Chinese adults	2016
10	50	Cappon et al.	Wearable continuous glucose monitoring sensors: A revolution in diabetes treatment	2017

Some of the authors included in the most cited publications also emphasized the ergonomic design and arrangement of the working environment [27 –30]. The subjects of the other most cited publications are the use of smart phones [31], the gap regarding the data in order to design for older people [32], the factors affecting self-care in older care [33], and glucose monitoring systems [34].

3.5 Authors

The most productive authors are shown in Table 3. The subjects of the papers published by the top 10 productive authors are digital human modelling [35 –38], design for all [39 –42], user-centred design [43 –45], workplace ergonomics [46 –53], transport and vehicle design [35, 54], kitchen design [55], human factors and mental health [56], self care [33], care transitions [57, 58], quality of life [60] and vision and ergonomics [60, 61].

Table 3
The 10 most productive authors

Rank Author Number of publications

1 D.E. Gyi 11

2 K. Case 8

3 R. Marshall 8

4 R.J. Holden 5

5 M. Calzavara 4

6 M. Page 4

7 J.M. Porter 4

8 R. Sims 4

9 F. Boenzi 3

10 F.M. Da Silva 3

Rank	Author	Number of publications
1	D.E. Gyi	11
2	K. Case	8
3	R. Marshall	8
4	R.J. Holden	5
5	M. Calzavara	4
6	M. Page	4
7	J.M. Porter	4
8	R. Sims	4
9	F. Boenzi	3
10	F.M. Da Silva	3

3.5.1 Co-authorship

Co-authorship is an indicator which represents a national or international collaboration of the authors. This indicator is used to define collaborations within the publications which are written by a minimum of two different authors [63].

More collaboration between the authors means stronger relationships between the authors and can be interpreted as an opportunity for the future collaborations [64]. Map 2 shows the collaborations between the authors with a minimum of 4 publications.

Map 2

Co-authorship network of the authors.

According to Map 2, Case, Porter and Marshal have a collaboration cluster amongst themselves. Holden and Page, although they have over 4 publications, show no co-authorship connection with other authors in the map. This means that they have co-authorship connections with authors outside of the map probably as their names do not exist due to the minimum number of co-cited publications.

3.5.2 Co-Citation

Co-citation analysis represents that a reference is shown simultaneously in two different studies [65]. Therefore, in this case, the more common citations there are means the more related the two references will be [19].

Table 4 shows the co-cited authors. Co-citation analysis represents references shown at the same time in two different studies [66]. Therefore, in this case, the more common citations there are, the more related the two references are.

Table 4
Co-cited authors

Rank Author No. of co-citations Total links

1 R.J. Holden 46 81

2 P. Carayon 22 68

3 J. Ilmorinnen 28 53

4 J. Ilmorinnen 26 50

5 C.H. Nygard 20 46

6 S.J. Czaja 27 20

7 J.M. Porter 22 1

Rank	Author	No. of co-citations	Total links
1	R.J. Holden	46	81
2	P. Carayon	22	68
3	J. Ilmorinnen	28	53
4	J. Ilmorinnen	26	50
5	C.H. Nygard	20	46
6	S.J. Czaja	27	20
7	J.M. Porter	22	1

Map 3 shows the authors have at least 20 publications which are co-citated in different publications at the same time.

Map 3

Co-citation connections of the authors.

The green cluster shows that Ilmarinen’s publications were cited together within the same publications. Salthorse and Czaja are in the red cluster. Therefore these two authors are cited in same publications’ reference lists. Holden and Carayon are in the blue cluster, but the lines between the all clusters shows that all of the authors are are also cited in the same publications as well.

3.5.3 Bibliometric coupling

Bibliometric coupling means two different authors uses the same source as reference. However, on the map - because of the data itself- it doesn’t provide exact information of the bibliometric coupling of every author. Therefore, if an author is single within a cluster that means, the author has bibliometric coupling out of the authors in the map.

Map 4 shows the connection between the authors which have at least 3 bibliographically coupled publications. Within these, Case, Napoli and Bozenzi have a bibliographic coupling connections. The other authors also have bibliometric coupling connections but with the authors outside of the map.

Map 4

Bibliographic coupling of the authors.

3.6 Countries

The first 10 most productive countries are shown in Fig. 3. According to this figure, the most productive country in the field of ergonomics and aging is the United States of America, and the United Kingdom, China, Italy, France, Brazil, Germany, Canada, Japan and Poland follow this rank.

Fig. 3

The most productive countries.

Map 5

Co-authorship connections of the countries.

3.6.1 International collaboration

Map 5 shows the co-authorship connections of the countries. The larger the size of the spheres, the more connections to other countries. The color of the spheres represents a cluster of a collaboration. The United Kingdom’s blue cluster shows having co-authorship with the Netherlands, Canada and Australia and the co-authorship links among these countries. The green cluster shows that Germany has co-authorship links with the USA, Finland and India; Sweden has collaboration with Denmark and Spain and Italy has common papers with Brazil and China. In addition, Taiwan appears not only connected with India and USA, but also has the lowest co-authorship connection among other countries.

3.6.2 The most cited countries

The first 10 most cited countries are listed in Table 5. All of the 10 countries have over 100 citations and the most cited country is the United States of America.

Table 5
The 10 most cited countries

Rank Country Total citations Mean citations per article

1 USA 792 12.57

2 United Kingdom 607 13.80

3 Italy 244 9.38

4 Finland 208 26.00

5 Canada 188 11.06

6 China 174 5.44

7 Germany 133 6.33

8 The Netherlands 132 18.86

9 Sweden 127 21.17

10 Denmark 122 20.33

Rank	Country	Total citations	Mean citations per article
1	USA	792	12.57
2	United Kingdom	607	13.80
3	Italy	244	9.38
4	Finland	208	26.00
5	Canada	188	11.06
6	China	174	5.44
7	Germany	133	6.33
8	The Netherlands	132	18.86
9	Sweden	127	21.17
10	Denmark	122	20.33

3.7 Sources

Map 6

The density distrubition of the most cited journals on ergonomics and aging.

Table 6 shows the most productive 10 journals. The minimum publication number of the most productive 10 sources is 6 and the most productive source is the Applied Ergonomics with 55 publications on ergonomics and aging. The following two sources are Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing with 23 publications and Work: A Journal of Prevention Assessment Rehabilitation with 21 publications.

Table 6

The 10 most productive journals

Rank	Source	Number of publications
1	Applied Ergonomics	55
2	Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing	23
3	Work: A Journal of Prevention Assessment Rehabilitation	21
4	Ergonomics	18
5	Lecture Notes in Computer Science	14
6	International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics	8
7	Procedia Manufacturing	8
8	6th International Conference On Applied Human Factors And Ergonomics AHFE 2015 and the Affıliated Conferences AHFE 2015	7
9	Aging And Work	6
10	Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Associatıon IEA 2018 Vol.VII Ergonomics in Design Design For All Activity Theories for Work Analysis and Design Affective Design	6

3.7.1 The most cited sources

Map 6 shows the density distribution of the most cited sources on ergonomics and aging. According to the density map, Applied Ergonomics is the most cited journal among the other sources. The Aging and Work and Ergonomics in Design journals and the Proceedings Book of the 6th International Conference of Ergonomics are the following most cited sources on ergonomics and aging.

4 Discussion

This study aimed to provide a point of view regarding the development of ergonomics and aging by reviewing the networks and publications with bibliometric analysis. Despite the publications regarding the development of ergonomics as a scientific field, the knowledge they provided demonstrated that aging-specific trends within the field are relatively limited.

According the the review paper of Buckle on research drivers on ergonomics [67], the subject of “aging workforce” [68] as the only paper focused on aging and ergonomics appeared in 1995 within the list of research driver subjects of ergonomics. Another study [69] used the bibliometric mapping technique in 2005 between 1970 and 1995 in order to map yearly trends on human factors; there were only two papers on the list of most cited publications and they were about aging and driving, and were published within the 1990–1995 timespan. In this study the oldest and most cited publication was published in 2000 and it was also about driving (Table 2). Therefore, even if there were publications focused on aging and ergonomics before, it is possible to determine that the beginning of the interest on this subfield was in 2000 (also see Fig. 1).

According to population projections, with global aging, the mean age of the workforce is expected to increase in the future. As the aging process is not homogenous within the population, with the rising number of older people, so do the variety of the needs of those older people [70].

As is commonly accepted, functional capacity decreases with age and this situation brings with it a variety of problems for both older workers and employers. In addition, the rising number of older people and lower rates of available younger workers in most industrial countries leads to employers hiring older workers. Therefore to improve the productivity of steadily increasing volumes of older workers and to provide a safer and healthier work environment, one of main subjects within ergononomics focusses on this group [69 –72].

The increase seen in the aging population also requires appropriate living environments and settings design [73]. Therefore the terms as accessibility, design for all and universal design are important terms in accordance with rising demands of an aging population. In addition, with the rising awarenes regarding to the succesful aging and active aging, we see that Gerontechnology is generating its place within the field of ergonomics and aging [4 , 74]. Therefore this study comprises the aging-related themes within ergonomics and shows the changes of focus within these themes.

5 Limitations

In this study we aimed to evaluate and visualize the trend of papers on Ergonomics and Aging from ISI Web of Science Databases. However, the study also has some limitations. Our search was restricted to Web of Science databases and we did not compare our findings with other scientific databases such as Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and PubMed which could help provide a better overview of the related published literature. In addition, the articles published with keywords other than mentioned in the Methodology section such as geriatric or elder were not included in our search.

6 Conclusions

Aging is a process that not only affects individual health and functional status, but also has a variety of effects upon populations such as the aging of the workforce, rising demand to the care services, environments and products which are more accesible and usable not only for everyday life but also for instutional processes. Therefore, the importance of the studies on ergonomics and aging is rising. In this article, it was aimed to provide a general point of view regarding to the studies focused on aging and ergonomics.

The bibliometric analysis of the publications regarding ergonomics and aging within the ISI WEB of SCIENCE database was conducted. The first article published within the 1979–2020 timespan on ergonomics and aging focuses on the basic elements of ergonomic design for older people, but in time the content of the studies changed to the investigations about computer-aided applications and the effect of the developing technology which is shown in the latest article in the same time span of this analysis. Therefore, it can be said that the studies on ergonomics and aging are changing parallel to the development of the technology.

In addition, the studies show different dimensions of human factors/ergonomic approaches, especially the close connection of the “inclusive design” keyword with the other keywords related to design for older workers. Also the meeting of keywords such as health, and older care in other clusters are some of the examples of the subdimensions.

Conflict of Interest

None to report.

References

Pikaar

, Koningsveld

, Settels

, Meeting Diversity in Ergonomics. Oxford: Elsevier, 2007.

Tosi

, Ergonomics in design and design in ergonomics, Work 2020;66(4):909–11.

Tosi

, Ergonomics in Design, current development and new challenges, Work 2020;66(4):913–6.

Graafmans

JAM

, Brouwers

, Gerontechnology^TM, the modelling of normal aging, Proc Hum Factors Soc Annu Meet 1989;33(3):187–9.

Girish

, Rauf

, Vivek

, Influence of age on lifting capacity among manual materials handlers, Work 60(1):2018.

Da Silva

, Cavalcante Neto

, Quality of life and functional capability of elderly Brazilian women, Work 62(1):2019.

Rialti

, Marzi

, Ciappei

, Busso

, Big data and dynamic capabilities: A bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review, Manag Decis 2019;57(8):2052–68.

Choudhri

, Siddiqui

, Khan

, Cohen

, Understanding bibliometric parameters and analysis, Radiographics 2015;35(3):736–46.

Eshraghi

, Osman

NAA

, Gholizadeh

, Ali

, Shadgan

, 100 top-cited scientific papers in limb prosthetics, Bio Medical Engineering Online 2013;12(1):1–12.

10.

Müller

, Ansari

, Ebrahim

, Khoo

, Physical activity and aging research: A Bibliometric analysis, J Aging Phys Act 2016;24(3):476–83.

11.

van Nunen

, Li

, Reniers

, Ponnet

, Bibliometric analysis of safety culture research, Safety Science 2018;108(1):248–58.

12.

Dominko

, Verbič

, The economics of subjective well-being: A bibliometric analysis, Journal of Happiness Studies 2019;20(6):1973–94.

13.

, Jovanovic

, Klimek

, Guo

, Bibliometric analysis of fracking scientific literature, Scientometrics. 2015;105(2):1273–84.

14.

Cao

, Zhou

, Wang

, A bibliometric analysis of global laparoscopy research trends during -Scientometrics 2013;96(3):717–30.

15.

Chen

, Wan

, Jiang

, Cheng

, Alzheimer’s disease research in the future: Bibliometric analysis of cholinesterase inhibitors from to Scientometrics, Scientometrics 2014;98(3):1865–77.

16.

Silva

JAP

, Menegon

, De Carvalho

Human reliability and ergonomics: A literature review from 1963 to 2011. In: Work. 2012.

17.

Smith

, Citation analysis and impact factor trends in the ergonomics journal list, -Hum Factors Ergon Manuf 2010;20(1):87–96.

18.

Guo

, Xu

, Feng

, Zhang

, A bibliometric analysis of oyster research from to Aquac Int, Aquac Int 2016;24(1):327–44.

19.

Guo

, Huang

, Guo

, Li

, Guo

, Nkeli

, Bibliometric analysis on smart cities research, Sustain 2019;11(13):3606.

20.

Oldfield

, Ergonomics for the elderly and handicapped-role of local government, Ergonomics 1979;22(6):741–741.

21.

Werner

, Rutkowski

, Graske

, Finta

, Sellers

, Seshadri

, et al., Exploring SEIPS 20 as a model for analyzing care transitions across work systems, Appl Ergon 2020;88(1):103141.

22.

Raan

, Advanced in bibliometric analysis: Research performance assesment and science mapping. In: W. Blockmans, & L. Engwall (Eds), Use and Abuse in the Review of Research Performance Portland Press Ltd, 2014, pp. 17-28.

23.

Pinto

, Stefania De Medici , Van Sant

, Alfredo Bianchi , Zlotnicki

, Napoli

, Ergonomics, gerontechnology, and design for the home-environment, Appl Ergon 2000;31(3):317–22.

24.

Fozard

, Rietsema

, Bouma

, Graafmans

JAM

, Gerontechnology: Creating enabling environments for the challenges and opportunities of aging, Educ Gerontol. 2000;26(4):331–44.

25.

Parker

, MacDonald

, Rabbitt

, Elderly drivers and their accidents: The Aging Driver Questionnaire, Accident Analysis and Prevention 2000;32(6):751–9.

26.

Burnett

, Porter

, Ubiquitous computing within cars: Designing controls for non visual use, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 2001;55(4):521–31.

27.

Pohjonen

, Perceived work ability of home care workers in relation to individual and work-related factors in different age groups, Occup Med (Chic Ill) 2001;51(3):209–17.

28.

Sluiter

, High-demand jobs: Age-related diversity in work ability? Appl Ergon 2006;37(4 SPEC. ISS.):429–40.

29.

Holtermann

, Jørgensen

, Gram

, Christensen

, Faber

, Overgaard

, et al., Worksite interventions for preventing physical deterioration among employees in job-groups with high physical work demands: Background, design and conceptual model of FINALE, BMC Public Health 2010;10(1):1–12.

30.

Stattin

, Järvholm

, Occupation, work environment, and disability pension: A prospective study of construction workers, Scand J Public Health 2005;33(2):84–90.

31.

, Chan

, Chen

, Personal and other factors affecting acceptance of smartphone technology by older Chinese adults, Applied Ergonomics 54(1):62–71.

32.

Peebles

, Norris

, Filling “gaps” in strength data for design, Appl Ergon 2003;34(1):73–88.

33.

Holden

, Schubert

, Mickelson

, The patient work system: An analysis of self-care performance barriers among elderly heart failure patients and their informal caregivers, Appl Ergon 2015;47(1):133–50.

34.

Cappon

, Acciaroli

, Vettoretti

, Facchinetti

, Sparacino

, Wearable continuous glucose monitoring sensors: A revolution in diabetes treatment, Electron 2017;6(3):65.

35.

Marshall

, Case

, Porter

, Sims

, Gyi

, A computer aided ergonomics tool to support accessible transport design, Appl Digit Tech Ind Des Eng 2005;34(1):73–88.

36.

Gyi

, Sims

, Porter

, Marshall

, Case

, Representing older and disabled people in virtual user trials: Data collection methods, Appl Ergon 2004;35(5):443–451.

37.

Summerskill

, Marshall

, Case

, Gyi

, Sims

, Davis

, et

, Validation of the HADRIAN system using an ATM evaluation case study, Int J Hum Factors Model Simul 2010;1(4):727–36.

38.

Marshall

, Case

, Porter

, Summerskill

, Gyi

, Davis

, et al., HADRIAN: A virtual approach to design for all, J Eng Des 2010;21(2–3):253–73.

39.

Case

, Porter

, Gyi

, Marshall

, Oliver

, Virtual fitting trials in “design for all, ” J Mater Process Technol 2001;117(1–2):255–61.

40.

Marshall

, Case

, Porter

, Sims

, Gyi

, Using HADRIAN for eliciting virtual user feedback in “design for all.” In: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture. 2004:1203-10.

41.

Marshall

, Case

, Oliver

, Gyi

, Porter

, A task based “design for all” support tool, In: Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing. 2002;18(3-4):297–303.

42.

Gardner

, Powell

, Page

, An appraisal of a selection of products currently available to older consumers, Appl Ergon 1993;24(1):35–9.

43.

Page

, An ergonomics evaluation of a reclosable pharmaceutical container with special reference to the elderly, Ergonomics 1981;24(11):847–62.

44.

Page

, Ergonomics evaluation of a reclosable pharmaceutical container with special reference to the elderly, Ergonomics 1982;5(5):847–62.

45.

Bogataj

, Battini

, Calzavara

, Persona

, Investments in workplace ergonomics from the supply chain approach. In: 24th International Conference on Production Research, ICPR 2017. 2017.

46.

Botti

, Mora

, Calzavara

, Design of job rotation schedules managing the exposure to age-related risk factors, IFAC-PapersOnLine 2017;50(1):13993–7.

47.

Bogataj

, Battini

, Calzavara

, Persona

, The ageing workforce challenge: Investments in collaborative robots or contribution to pension schemes, from the multi-echelon perspective, Int J Prod Econ 2019;210(1):97–106.

48.

Botti

, Calzavara

, Mora

, Modelling job rotation in manufacturing systems with aged workers, Int J Prod Res 2020;59(8):2522–36.

49.

Eaves

, Gyi

, Gibb

AGF

, Facilitating healthy ageing in construction: Stakeholder views, Procedia Manuf 2015;3:4681–8.

50.

Boenzi

, Digiesi

, Facchini

, Mummolo

, Ergonomic improvement through job rotations in repetitive manual tasks in case of limited specialization and differentiated ergonomic requirements, IFAC-PapersOnLine 2016;49(12):1667–72.

51.

Boenzi

, Digiesi

, Mossa

, Mummolo

, Romano

, Modelling workforce aging in job rotation problems, In: IFAC-PapersOnLine 2015;48(3):604–9.

52.

Boenzi

, Mossa

, Mummolo

, Romano

, Workforce aging in production systems: Modeling and performance evaluation, In: Procedia Engineering 2015;100:1108–15.

53.

Karali

, Gyi

, Mansfield

, Driving a better driving experience: A questionnaire survey of older compared with younger drivers, Ergonomics 2017;60(4):533–40.

54.

Karali

, Mansfield

, Gyi

, An approach to vehicle design: In-depth audit to understand the needs of older drivers, Appl Ergon 2017;58(1):461–70.

55.

Maguire

, Peace

, Nicolle

, Marshall

, Sims

, Percival

, et al., Kitchen living in later life: Exploring ergonomic problems, coping strategies and design solutions, Int J Des 2014;8(1):73–91.

56.

Holden

, Daley

, Mickelson

, Bolchini

, Toscos

, Cornet

, et al., Patient decision-making personas: An application of a patient-centered cognitive task analysis (P-CTA), Appl Ergon 2020;87:103107.

57.

Werner

, Tong

, Borkenhagen

, Holden

, Performance-shaping factors affecting older adults’ hospital-to-home transition success: A systems approach, Gerontologist 2019;59(2):303–14.

58.

Mickelson

, Willis

, Holden

, Medication-related cognitive artifacts used by older adults with heart failure, Heal Policy Technol 2015;4(4):387–98.

59.

Page

, Galer

, Reeney

, How the application of ergonomics can improve the quality of life for the elderly and disabled, Ergonomics 1979;22(6):741.

60.

Pinheiro

, da Silva

, Colour, vision and ergonomics, Work-A Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation 2012;41(Suppl 1):5590–3.

61.

da Silva FM , Colour and inclusivity: A visual communication design Project with older people, vision and ergonomics. Work-A Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation 2012;41(Suppl 1):4746–53.

62.

Barros

, Carnide

, Cunha

, Santos

, Silva

, Will I be able to do my work at 60? An analysis of working conditions that hinder active ageing, Work 2015;51(3):65.

63.

Okubo

, Bibliometric indicators and analysis of research systems: Methods and examples. 1997;1. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/208277770603.

64.

Boyack

, Klavans

, Co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and direct citation: Which citation approach represents the research front most accurately? J Am Soc Inf Sci Technol 2010;61(12):2389–404.

65.

Boyack , Kevin

, Richard

, Co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and direct citation: Which citation approach represents the research front most accurately? Journal of the American Society for information Science and Technology 2010;61(12):2389–404.

66.

Buckle P , “The perfect is the enemy of the good” - ergonomics research and practice, Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors Annual Lecture Ergonomics 2011;54(1):1–11.

67.

Lee

, Cassano-Pinché

, Vicente

, Bibliometric analysis of Human Factors -A quantitative description of scientific impact, Hum Factors. 2005;47(4):753–66.

68.

De Zwart

BCH

, Frings-Dresen

MHW

, Van Dijk

FJH

, Physical workload and the ageing worker: A review of the literature, International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 1995;68(1):1–12.

69.

Shephard

, Aging and productivity: Some physiological issues, Int J Ind Ergon 2000;25(5):535–45.

70.

Di Pasquale

, Miranda

, Neumann

, Ageing and human-system errors in manufacturing: A scoping review, International Journal of Production Research. 2020;58(15):4716–40.

71.

Perry

, The aging workforce: Using ergonomics to improve workplace design, Prof Saf 2010;55(04):22–8.

72.

Fox

, Brogmus

, Maynard

, Aging workers & ergonomics: A fresh perspective, Prof Saf 2015;60(1):33–41.

73.

de Oliveira

SML

, Pessa

SLR

, Schenatto

, de Lourdes Bernartt

, Cities and population aging: A literature review. In: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. 2019;1395-404.

74.

Özsungur

, Gerontechnological factors affecting successful aging of elderly. Aging Male. 2019:520-32.

Ergonomics and aging: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

OBJECTIVE:

METHODS:

RESULTS:

CONCLUSIONS:

Keywords

1 Introduction

2 Methodology

2.1 Data

2.2 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

2.3 Analysis

3 Findings

3.1 General characteristics of the publications

3.1.1 Annual production of the publications

3.4 The most cited publications

Table 3 The 10 most productive authors Rank Author Number of publications 1 D.E. Gyi 11 2 K. Case 8 3 R. Marshall 8 4 R.J. Holden 5 5 M. Calzavara 4 6 M. Page 4 7 J.M. Porter 4 8 R. Sims 4 9 F. Boenzi 3 10 F.M. Da Silva 3

Table 4 Co-cited authors Rank Author No. of co-citations Total links 1 R.J. Holden 46 81 2 P. Carayon 22 68 3 J. Ilmorinnen 28 53 4 J. Ilmorinnen 26 50 5 C.H. Nygard 20 46 6 S.J. Czaja 27 20 7 J.M. Porter 22 1

3.6.2 The most cited countries

Table 5 The 10 most cited countries Rank Country Total citations Mean citations per article 1 USA 792 12.57 2 United Kingdom 607 13.80 3 Italy 244 9.38 4 Finland 208 26.00 5 Canada 188 11.06 6 China 174 5.44 7 Germany 133 6.33 8 The Netherlands 132 18.86 9 Sweden 127 21.17 10 Denmark 122 20.33

4 Discussion

5 Limitations

6 Conclusions

Conflict of Interest

References

Table 3
The 10 most productive authors

Rank Author Number of publications

1 D.E. Gyi 11

2 K. Case 8

3 R. Marshall 8

4 R.J. Holden 5

5 M. Calzavara 4

6 M. Page 4

7 J.M. Porter 4

8 R. Sims 4

9 F. Boenzi 3

10 F.M. Da Silva 3

Table 4
Co-cited authors

Rank Author No. of co-citations Total links

1 R.J. Holden 46 81

2 P. Carayon 22 68

3 J. Ilmorinnen 28 53

4 J. Ilmorinnen 26 50

5 C.H. Nygard 20 46

6 S.J. Czaja 27 20

7 J.M. Porter 22 1