Association of Smartphone Usage and Subjective Musculoskeletal Symptoms Among Adolescents; A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background: Individuals of all ages use smartphones, from college students to the elderly. Smartphone users often use the small screen to look at the internet, talk to other people, use social networking services (SNS), write papers and do other tasks. Objective: To determine the association between smartphone usage and subjective musculoskeletal symptoms among adolescents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that was carried out from July to December 2021 and was conducted at the Link Medical Centre, Lahore. Students from different universities in Lahore were asked to fill out a questionnaire that they would later administer to themselves. The results of the final analysis, conducted using SPSS 25.0, were based on the 365 completed questionnaires. Using SPSS statistics version 25.0, the data were analyzed. The chi-square test was applied to assess if smartphone characteristics relate to subjective musculoskeletal pain. A p-value less than or equal to 0.05 was judged statistically significant. Results: The results showed that the musculoskeletal symptoms were found in various regions in descending order of percentage as neck 24%, shoulder 25%, waist 15%, hands 10%, arms and fingers 9%. The statistics using the chi-square test showed that there was a significant correlation between less screen size and musculoskeletal symptoms in the wrist, hands, shoulders, neck and waist (p-value<0.05) except those of leg and feet and arms (p>0.05), while the same significant association was found with musculoskeletal symptoms in all regions except that it was not significantly associated with fingers. Conclusion: The study concluded that there was a significant association between higher duration of smartphone usage and small screen size with musculoskeletal symptoms in various body regions, especially the upper extremity and waist. It is essential to enhance their utilization and devise a preventative program to alleviate the discomfort produced by bone and muscle dysfunction. The upcoming smart glasses can also be the solution to such musculoskeletal problems.