Smartphone addiction and its association with upper body musculoskeletal symptoms among university students classified by age and gender.
Panida Hanphitakphong, Orawan Keeratisiroj, Nuanlaor Thawinchai
PMID 34083877WHAT IT FOUND
University students classified as addicted to their smartphones were far more likely to report neck and shoulder pain than those who were not.
This association held even after adjusting for age and gender, with female students and those over 20 also showing higher rates of symptoms.
Key findings
01Smartphone addiction was a significant predictor of upper body musculoskeletal symptoms, with addicted students having much higher odds of reporting symptoms than non-addicted students.
02Female gender and being over 20 years of age were also independently associated with a higher prevalence of upper body musculoskeletal symptoms.
03Overall, 30% of students reported upper body musculoskeletal symptoms, and 15.9% were classified as having smartphone addiction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The cross-sectional design cannot prove that smartphone addiction causes musculoskeletal symptoms; it only shows an association. The study relied on self-reported data, which is subject to recall and response bias. Participants were drawn from a single university in Northern Thailand, which may limit how well the findings apply to other populations or regions. The sample was predominantly female (57.6%), which might skew the overall prevalence estimates.
Declared interests
The study was supported by a research grant from the Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University. No conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high odds ratio as proof that smartphone addiction directly causes musculoskeletal pain. The study design only identifies an association, and other factors like underlying mental health conditions or physical activity levels were not fully controlled for.