Smartphone Addiction and Its Association with Upper Body Musculoskeletal Symptoms Among University Students Classified by Age and Gender

Overview

Journal J Phys Ther Sci

Date 2021 Jun 4

PMID 34083877

Citations 10

Authors

Panida Hanphitakphong

Orawan Keeratisiroj

Nuanlaor Thawinchai

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

[Purpose] The purposes of this study were to: 1) survey smartphone addiction among university students, 2) survey the prevalence of upper body musculoskeletal symptoms in relation to the respondents' sitting posture, and 3) determine the association between smartphone addiction and upper body musculoskeletal symptoms, classified by age and gender. [Participants and Methods] Two self-report questionnaires were employed to collect data from 2,645 university students in Chiang Mai, Thailand. [Results] Of 2,027 respondents (860 males and 1,167 females), the participants' ages ranged from 18 to 26 years with a mean age of 20.5 ± 1.38 years. The prevalence of smartphone addiction and upper body musculoskeletal symptoms among participants were 15.9% and 30%, respectively. Overall, the mean value of pain severity was 3.66 ± 1.67 out of 10 on the visual analog scale. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that smartphone addiction (OR=6.05, 95% CI: 4.68-7.84), was significantly associated with upper-body musculoskeletal symptoms when adjusted by age and gender. [Conclusion] The prevalence of upper body musculoskeletal symptoms was relatively high, especially for female smartphone users and students aged over 20 years. These results suggest that smartphone addiction may be a potential risk factor for upper body musculoskeletal symptoms in university students.

Citing Articles

Clinical Manifestations' Spectrum of Smartphone Addiction: Moving from an Addiction toward a Clinical Syndrome.

Alwazzeh M, Harfouch M, Hasan M, Alqatari S, AlSaid A, Alwazzeh M Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2024; 20:e17450179295575.

PMID: 39130188 PMC: 11311730. DOI: 10.2174/0117450179295575240520064919.

Efficacy of ultrasound therapy with neck retraction exercises vs. ultrasound therapy with deep cervical flexor training for excessive screen time users: a pilot randomized controlled study.

Watthanasuwakul M, Hanphitakphong P, Poomsalood S J Phys Ther Sci. 2024; 36(5):303-307.

PMID: 38694008 PMC: 11060765. DOI: 10.1589/jpts.36.303.

Effect of Mobile Phone Use on Musculoskeletal Complaints: Insights From Nursing Students at Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.

Mersal F, Negm L, Fawzy M, Rajennal A, Alanazi R, Alanazi L Cureus. 2024; 16(3):e57181.

PMID: 38681440 PMC: 11056090. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.57181.

Text neck is not associated with neck and upper limb disability in young adults who use smartphones.

Souza V, Schneider I, Fonseca M, Kuriki H, Marcolino A, Barbosa R Eur Spine J. 2024; 33(3):1187-1194.

PMID: 38369595 DOI: 10.1007/s00586-024-08139-3.

Association of electronic learning devices and online learning properties with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs): A cross-sectional study among Thai undergraduate students.

Direksunthorn T, Polpanadham P, Summart U, Mahem K, Kempanya P, Zulfatul Ala M PLoS One. 2023; 18(10):e0291597.

PMID: 37903094 PMC: 10615310. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291597.

References

Hartrick C, Kovan J, Shapiro S . The numeric rating scale for clinical pain measurement: a ratio measure?. Pain Pract. 2006; 3(4):310-6. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-7085.2003.03034.x. View

Xie Y, Szeto G, Dai J . Prevalence and risk factors associated with musculoskeletal complaints among users of mobile handheld devices: A systematic review. Appl Ergon. 2016; 59(Pt A):132-142. DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.08.020. View

Kim S, Kim J, Jee Y . Relationship between smartphone addiction and physical activity in Chinese international students in Korea. J Behav Addict. 2015; 4(3):200-5. PMC: 4627682. DOI: 10.1556/2006.4.2015.028. View

Alsalameh A, Harisi M, Alduayji M, Almutham A, Mahmood F . Evaluating the relationship between smartphone addiction/overuse and musculoskeletal pain among medical students at Qassim University. J Family Med Prim Care. 2019; 8(9):2953-2959. PMC: 6820402. DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_665_19. View

Kim H, Kim J . The relationship between smartphone use and subjective musculoskeletal symptoms and university students. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015; 27(3):575-9. PMC: 4395668. DOI: 10.1589/jpts.27.575. View

Yoo J, Cho N, Lim S, Kim H . Relationships between body mass index, fat mass, muscle mass, and musculoskeletal pain in community residents. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014; 66(12):3511-20. DOI: 10.1002/art.38861. View

Lee J, Seo K . The comparison of cervical repositioning errors according to smartphone addiction grades. J Phys Ther Sci. 2014; 26(4):595-8. PMC: 3996429. DOI: 10.1589/jpts.26.595. View

Eitivipart A, Viriyarojanakul S, Redhead L . Musculoskeletal disorder and pain associated with smartphone use: A systematic review of biomechanical evidence. Hong Kong Physiother J. 2019; 38(2):77-90. PMC: 6405356. DOI: 10.1142/S1013702518300010. View

Davey S, Davey A . Assessment of Smartphone Addiction in Indian Adolescents: A Mixed Method Study by Systematic-review and Meta-analysis Approach. Int J Prev Med. 2015; 5(12):1500-11. PMC: 4336980. View

10.

Yang S, Chen M, Huang Y, Lin C, Chang J . Association Between Smartphone Use and Musculoskeletal Discomfort in Adolescent Students. J Community Health. 2016; 42(3):423-430. DOI: 10.1007/s10900-016-0271-x. View

11.

Gustafsson E, Thomee S, Grimby-Ekman A, Hagberg M . Texting on mobile phones and musculoskeletal disorders in young adults: A five-year cohort study. Appl Ergon. 2016; 58:208-214. DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.06.012. View

12.

Chen B, Liu F, Ding S, Ying X, Wang L, Wen Y . Gender differences in factors associated with smartphone addiction: a cross-sectional study among medical college students. BMC Psychiatry. 2017; 17(1):341. PMC: 5634822. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-017-1503-z. View

13.

Keeratisiroj O, Siritaratiwat W . Prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal pain symptoms among school-age adolescents: age and sex differences. Scand J Pain. 2018; 18(2):273-280. DOI: 10.1515/sjpain-2017-0150. View

14.

Griffiths M . Gambling on the internet: A brief note. J Gambl Stud. 2013; 12(4):471-3. DOI: 10.1007/BF01539190. View

15.

Tsang A, Von Korff M, Lee S, Alonso J, Karam E, Angermeyer M . Common chronic pain conditions in developed and developing countries: gender and age differences and comorbidity with depression-anxiety disorders. J Pain. 2008; 9(10):883-91. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2008.05.005. View

16.

De-Sola Gutierrez J, Rodriguez de Fonseca F, Rubio G . Cell-Phone Addiction: A Review. Front Psychiatry. 2016; 7:175. PMC: 5076301. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00175. View

17.

Wiesenfeld-Hallin Z . Sex differences in pain perception. Gend Med. 2005; 2(3):137-45. DOI: 10.1016/s1550-8579(05)80042-7. View

18.

Sharan D, Mohandoss M, Ranganathan R, Jose J . Musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities due to extensive usage of hand held devices. Ann Occup Environ Med. 2015; 26:22. PMC: 4387778. DOI: 10.1186/s40557-014-0022-3. View

19.

Al-Hadidi F, Bsisu I, AlRyalat S, Al-Zubi B, Bsisu R, Hamdan M . Association between mobile phone use and neck pain in university students: A cross-sectional study using numeric rating scale for evaluation of neck pain. PLoS One. 2019; 14(5):e0217231. PMC: 6527223. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217231. View