Predictors of Musculoskeletal Pain among Primary School Students Using Smartphones in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Jittaporn Mongkonkansai, Siriluk Veerasakul, Shamsul Bahri Mohd Tamrin and Uraiwan Madardam ()
Additional contact information
Jittaporn Mongkonkansai: Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161, Thailand
Siriluk Veerasakul: Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161, Thailand
Shamsul Bahri Mohd Tamrin: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Uraiwan Madardam: Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161, Thailand

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-9

Abstract: School-age children increasingly use smartphones to conduct their learning activities; increasing reports of disorders related to smartphone use exist, including visual-related symptoms, stress, and musculoskeletal pain. This study aimed to examine risk factors for musculoskeletal pain among primary school students using smartphones. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 233 school-aged children in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Data collection used a questionnaire for musculoskeletal symptoms using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire with ISO 11,226:2000. Through Chi-square, t -test, and logistic regression analysis, factors independently associated with musculoskeletal pain were determined. An important factor in the development of musculoskeletal pain was the prolonged use of smartphones for longer than 60 min, particularly among children aged 6–9 years old. In regards to musculoskeletal pain, almost 53% of the students used their smartphones while lying down. Posing in a prone position while using a smartphone was 7.37 times more dangerous than sitting. The laying position tilts numerous organs at varying angles, especially the upper arm. The risk of musculoskeletal complaints must be reduced by educating parents, children, and the relevant government organizations about safe smartphone usage. The mentioned factors may be used to anticipate the onset of musculoskeletal pain caused by smartphone use in young children.

Keywords: smartphone-usage posture; sitting posture; lying down posture; musculoskeletal pain; primary school student (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/17/10530/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/17/10530/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:17:p:10530-:d:896194

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().