Abstract

Background and Aim: Repeated and prolonged use of smartphones will have negative impacts on the human body. In talking about musculoskeletal problems, many studies found a relationship between neck disabilities and smart devices usage. Our study aimed to assess the association between smartphones addiction and neck disability among private universities students in Riyadh.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among private universities students in Riyadh include medical and non-medical colleges. The participants were given online and direct questionnaire to link the association between smartphones addiction using the problematic use of mobile phones (PUMP) scale and neck disability using the neck disability index.

Results: The study included 527 participants; the majority of the participants were females (81%) as compared to males (19%). Forty-five percent of the participants were using smart devices for 7 hours and above, followed by (41.2%) who were using it between 4-6 hours, and only 14% of the participants were using them between 1-3 hours. A significant higher neck disability was noticed in participants who were using the screen for 7 hours and more (p=0.015).

Conclusions: The study concluded that the majority of university students are using smartphones for 7 hours and more. This finding was significantly associated with the development of neck disability.

Key words: Smartphones; Addiction; Neck Disability; University students; Saudi Arabia