Smartphone addiction and postural alterations in the cervical region in adolescents

To evaluate smartphone addiction and postural alterations in the cervical region in adolescents.

A cross-sectional study with 281 adolescents (15 to 19 years old), attending the 1st to the 3rd grades of High School, carried out between September and October 2019 in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Data collection took place in two stages. In the first, they answered four self-administered questionnaires: sociodemographic questionnaire, health conditions and smartphone use, Nordic Musculoskeletal Symptom Questionnaire (NMQ), Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI-BR). In the second stage, they were submitted to photogrammetry using the Postural Assessment Software (SAPO) and anthropometric assessment (weight and height). The software SPSS Statistics version 23.0 was used for data analysis.

Of the total number of adolescents, 63.3% (n=178) showed smartphone addiction, using it for 5.8 hours (±3.5) during the week and 8.7 (±4.0) hours on the weekend. When analyzing postural alignment in the anterior view, a significant reduction in the lateral head tilt was observed when typing on the smartphone (p=0.002) compared to the anatomical position (baseline). In the lateral view, an increase in head anteriorization was observed during smartphone use (p<0.05). There was an association between smartphone addiction and head anteriorization (p<0.05).

The use of the smartphone in the typing position causes postural alterations in the cervical region, especially in adolescents with smartphone addiction. Therefore, health promotion measures that alert adolescents to the adverse effects caused by prolonged smartphone use are necessary.