Association between home posture habits and neck pain in High School adolescents

J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2017;30(3):467-475. doi: 10.3233/BMR-150339.

Abstract

Background: Neck pain (NP) in adolescence is as frequent as in adulthood. However, the relationship between home posture habits and neck pain is still unknown.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of NP and the association with home posture habits (HPH) in adolescents.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with High School adolescents. Students answered questions regarding sociodemographic variables, lifestyle, HPH (illustration in the questionnaire), time (TV, computer, video-game) and the presence of NP. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the association between HPH and NP.

Results: The prevalence of NP was 48.9%. The ones who watched TV lying supine in bed for 2 hours or more a day yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 6.21 (1.45-26.52) for acute neck pain (ANP). Who watched TV and used the desktop in the slump posture yielded, respectively, an OR of 4.0 (1.63-9.85), and 2.03 (1.23-3.34) for chronic neck pain (CNP). The ones who frequently changed their positions while using the desktop and used it for 2 hours or more a day yielded an OR of 0.34 (0.14-0.85) for ANP.

Conclusion: Our findings support the high prevalence of NP in adolescence and raise the association between some HPH and neck pain.

Keywords: Spinal pain; habits; posture; prevalence; teenagers.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Chronic Pain / epidemiology
  • Chronic Pain / etiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Habits*
  • Humans
  • Life Style
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Neck Pain / epidemiology*
  • Neck Pain / etiology
  • Posture*
  • Prevalence
  • Students
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Video Games
  • Young Adult