Geração cabeça-baixa: sintomas osteomusculares pelo uso do Smartphone em jovens universitários

Abstract

The access and exposure to different Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) such as computers and mobile phones has increased in recent decades, especially in younger population groups. With regard to mobile devices, these have communication and the capacity to connect to computer networks and vary in size, price and power processing. These devices are being used within the health promotion context and for prevention and intervention. However, the constant presence of these devices, usually called as smartphones, in pockets and close to users, determines more handling time, which can affect the user’s quality of life. This interaction with the device is more intense with the young users’ group and the frequency and intensity of the action are being accused to change some physical, psychological and social changes. The objective of this research is to identify the factors associated with the use of smartphone for young academics (18-26 years) relating to inappropriate use and its consequences (postural and musculoskeletal) and to design, in a further opportunity, a health promotion intervention. The present study is characterized by a quantitative descriptive transversal approach of an university students aged 18-26 years of higher education institution in South of Brazil, and will be constituted by two moments. In the first moment, a structured questionnaire was applied to characterize a sociodemographic profile, consisting of information regarding the use of smartphones, and then the Nordic questionnaire on musculoskeletal symptoms was applied to the students from May to June 2017. The sample consisted of 1083 university students who answered the questionnaire online, which was later filtered through the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In a second moment, the data of the questionnaire answered was analyzed, correlating the answers and establishing, thus, the possible associated factors. As one of the main results, there was a tendency of the symptoms of musculoskeletal pain in the typing styles in the smartphone. When asked about the case(s) in which they considered that the symptoms were related to the use of the smartphone, the most cited region was the neck (cervical region), reported by 43.87% of the students. It was also found that young people typing on the smartphone in an inclined position of 45 and 60 degrees are almost twice as likely to have a symptom severity score of 1 compared to those typing in the 0 degree position. The other factors did not present significant differences in the chances of obtaining a score equal to 1, at a level of 5% of significance. It is concluded that the use of smartphones, which is in progress with handling time, inappropriate postures and interaction styles, can cause significant lesions without neck and lead to greater propensities of pain in other parts of the body such as wrists, and fingers. That is, we confirm that there is an association between time and posture of interaction with the smartphone with the emergence and reports of pain.