Association of Screen Time and Neck Discomfort and Neck Disability among Adult Population in Malaysia

Abstract

Prolonged screen time could cause adverse effects, including neck discomfort. During the COVID-19 pandemic, increased use of technological gadgets resulted in the increase of prevalence in neck discomfort. It was pondered upon whether neck pain was due to other lifestyle factors or the increase of screen time in the adult population in Malaysia. This study allows the community to understand whether the duration of screen time is associated with neck discomfort in the population of Malaysian adults. The instruments utilised in this study were sociodemographic index, Neck Disability Index, Numeric Pain Rating Scale and Screen Time Questionnaire. Our results showed that working status had a significant difference on total screen time during weekdays, weeknights and weekends, and hence also resulting in neck disability. Males had a higher screen time compared to females but do not have a higher tendency for neck disability. Perceived neck discomfort increased exponentially along with the age. Therefore, this study showed that increased duration of screen time may cause both neck discomfort and neck disability.