Prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction, and its association with neck disorders among university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic
Mohamed Sherif Sirajudeen,
Msaad Alzhrani,
Ahmad Alanazi,
Mazen Alqahtani,
Mohamed Waly,
Radhakrishnan Unnikrishnan,
Hariraja Muthusamy,
Wafa Alrubaia,
Nidaa Alanazi,
Mohamed K. Seyam,
Faizan Kashoo,
Mohammad Miraj,
Shashikumar Channmgere Govindappa,
Khalid Ahmed Alghamdi,
Nasser M. Al-Hussinan
Affiliations
Mohamed Sherif Sirajudeen
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Msaad Alzhrani
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Ahmad Alanazi
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Mazen Alqahtani
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Waly
Department of Medical Equipment Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Radhakrishnan Unnikrishnan
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Hariraja Muthusamy
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Wafa Alrubaia
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Nidaa Alanazi
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed K. Seyam
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Faizan Kashoo
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Miraj
Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Shashikumar Channmgere Govindappa
Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia
Khalid Ahmed Alghamdi
Department of Physiotherapy, King Khalid General Hospital, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
Nasser M. Al-Hussinan
Department of Physiotherapy, Hawtah Sudair Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The smartphone emerges as an inevitable gadget in modern society and its increased usage results in neck disorders among its users. However, the factors associated with neck disorders among smartphone users are ambiguous and less explored in the literature. The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, and its association with neck disorders among university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 313 university students who were aged 18 years and older, owned a smartphone, and used it during the preceding 12 months participated in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, neck disorders, and the level of physical activity. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between the prevalence of neck disorders and text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, and level of physical activity. The 12 months prevalence of neck disorders due to smartphone use among the participants was found to be 46%. The neck disorders were more prevalent among participants who reported text neck posture (P < 0.001) and categorized as smartphone-addicted/overuse (P < 0.001). Measures to promote the awareness of healthy use of smartphones including postural education and to decrease its screen time are warranted to reduce neck disorders.
