Effects of Smartphone Use on Posture, Pain, Function and QoL

Completed

• Conditions: Postural; Defect; Quality of Life; Neck Pain, Posterior; Shoulder Pain
• Interventions: Other: Assessment

• Registration Number: NCT04256031
• Lead Sponsor: Yeditepe University

Brief Summary

The aim of the study is to determine the effects of the use of smartphone on the neck and shoulder posture, pain, and functions, and the quality of life in young adults. The sample of the study consists of university students. According to the scores they got from the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version, all participants will be divided into two groups. The neck and shoulder posture, pain, and functions, and the quality of life will be compared between the two groups.

Detailed Description

The study will include 106 university students who are 18-25 years old. According to the scores they got from the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version, all students will be divided into two groups as Excessive Smartphone Use Group and Non-excessive Smartphone Use Group, both consisting of 53 participants. Participants whose scores are higher than 30 will be included to the Excessive Smartphone Use Group, and whose scores are 30 or less will be included to the Non-excessive Smartphone Use Group. In the assessment of pain level, the Visual Analogue Scale will be used. Functional levels of the neck and shoulders will be evaluated with the Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale and the Shoulder Disability Questionnaire. World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Short Form will be utilized to assess the quality of life. Postural analyzes of the participants will be fulfilled with the New York Posture Rating Chart. All scores will be evaluated by comparing between the two groups.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2019-10-01
• Primary Completion: 2020-01-08
• Study First Submitted: 2020-02-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-02-04
• Study First Posted: 2020-02-05
• Study Completion: 2020-02-08
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-02
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-05

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 106

Inclusion Criteria

• To be willing and volunteer to participate in the study
• To be between 18 and 25 years old
• To have been using smartphone for more than 1 year

Exclusion Criteria

• To have any health problem history or diagnosed pathology related with the neck or shoulder regions
• To have any history of trauma or surgery related to the neck or shoulder regions
• To have received any medical attention or treatment in the last six months because of a health problem related to neck or shoulder
• To have any diagnosed neurological problem

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Non-excessive Smartphone Use Group	Assessment	Participants whose Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version scores are 30 or less
Excessive Smartphone Use Group	Assessment	Participants whose Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version scores are higher than 30

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Neck function	1 day (Instant single measure)	Functional level of the neck will be evaluated with the Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale. It is a valid and reliable tool for self-assessment of cervical pain and related disabilities, developed by Jordan el al. in 1998. The minimum score of the scale is 0, while the maximum score is 30. Disability level increases as the total score increases.
Pain level	1 day (Instant single measure)	In the assessment of the neck and shoulder pain levels the Visual Analogue Scale will be used. This scale is 10 cm long, and has two ends on a horizontal line. One of these two ends is called as "0", while one is named as "10". "0" point defines no pain, and "10" points describe the most severe pain.
Quality of life level	1 day (Instant single measure)	World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Short Form will be utilized to assess the quality of life of participants. This questionnaire has been developed by World Health Organization, and has been validated in 1999 by Eser et al. in Turkish population. The scale does not have a total score, each field of the scale is evaluated independently in itself and is scored out of 20 or 100 points. The higher the score shows the higher the quality of life level.
Smartphone addiction level	1 day (Instant single measure)	In determining the smartphone addiction levels of the participants, Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version will be utilized. It is a self-assessment tool questioning smartphone usage, constituted by Kwon et al in 2013. The validity and reliability study of its Turkish version was made by Noyan et al. in 2015. The cut-off score for Turkish population was detected both for male and female students in 2017 by Şata and Karip. The lowest score of the scale is 10, while the highest score is 60. As the score obtained from the scale increases, the severity of smartphone addiction increases.
Posture	1 day (Instant single measure)	Posture will be examined with New York Posture Rating Chart which is a quantitative approach to assess the alignment of various body parts from posterior and lateral. The total score calculated after the evaluation is at most 65, and at least 13. The low score indicates impairments in posture.
Shoulder function	1 day (Instant single measure)	Functional level of the shoulder will be evaluated with the Shoulder Disability Questionnaire. It is a 16-items disability questionnaire related to shoulder pain. The result is calculated with a special formula, and evaluated out of 100. Disability level increases as the total score increases.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Yeditepe University; 🇹🇷 Istanbul, Turkey