NECK RELATED PROBLEMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG TECHNOLOGY USERS OF FACULTY MEMBERS AT MAJMAAH UNIVERSITY, SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

Faisal Ghanem Alanazi* and Abdulaziz Mohammed Altuwaijri

Background: About 34.4% of office employees worldwide experience neck pain related to musculoskeletal disorders each year. The primary objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of neck related problems among technology users of faculty members of Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. The secondary objective of this study was to assess the relationship between demographic characteristics, technology usage and quality of life among faculty members of Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A Cross-sectional study was conducted at various colleges of Majmaah University of both male and females aged between 30 to 55 years with a minimum of one year of experience/exposure to technology usage were included in the study. Study participants with chronic systemic ailment, recent fractures, on medication, receiving physiotherapy, or undergone recent surgery were excluded. A sample size of 369 faculty invited for the study, a convenience sampling method was adopted. The Neck Outcome Score (NOOS) English version was circulated among the sample after written informed consent. Demographic parameters do not follow normal distribution. Hence, expressed in median, geometric mean with 95% confidence interval (CI); number with percentage. Prevalence of neck related symptoms were estimated in frequency and percentages. Spearman rank correlation was used to report the association between these parameters & Quality of life (NOOS_QOL).

Results: The median age of the faculty 41.7, 40.9 years. Prevalence of neck related symptoms such as mobility impairment, symptoms, sleep disturbance and pain in males were 20.7%, 36.2%, 5.2%, 37.9%; in females 24.4%, 26.7%, 13.3%, 35.6% respectively. Age has significant -0.577 (p<0.001) moderate to good degree of negative association with NOOS-QoL among the faculty. Similarly, daily keyboard use has significant -0.205 (p=0.038) little degree of negative association with NOOS-QoL. While in other parameters with NOOS-QoL, there exist no significant associations between them.

Conclusion: Neck related symptoms were prevalent among technology users of male and female faculty, as age and daily time spent using keyboard increased, neck related Quality of life decreased among technology users of male and female faculty at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia