Study on the methods for the assessment of signs and symptoms of seasickness

Objective To study the seasickness assessment scale applicable to the Chinese population.Methods The questionnaire containing signs and symptoms from the Graybiel,the Wiker and other scales was used to investigate the signs and symptoms of 505 ordinary Chinese with seasickness.Results(1)Besides vomiting,retching,and the"five cardinal symptoms",other symptoms more frequently reported among ordinary Chinese population were dizziness,fatigue,yawning,anorexia,warmth,headache,etc.(2)Ordinary subjects with little medical background had difficulty in comprehension of symptoms described in the Wiker questionnaire.(3)In some cases,certain subjects either minimized or exaggerated symptoms of seasickness.(4)In the dim light of ship compartments,certain symptoms such as pallor,sweating,etc.could only be recognized through careful observation by the researchers,subjects or people around them.(5)In the light of the above problems,a modified seasickness assessment scale and seasickness score based on the Wiker scale was thus developed.Conclusions There were some limitations in the on-site assessment of seasickness severity for the ordinary Chinese population either with the Graybiel scale or the Wiker scale.The modified seasickness questionnaire and grading method were more simple and effective. Key words: Seasickness; Signs and symptoms; Questionnaire; Assessment