Smartphone addiction: Neck functional disability and quality of life among undergraduate university students

ABSTRACT Background: Smartphone usage is on an increasing rise among undergraduate students worldwide owing to their portability and usability. Although beneficial in many ways, excessive use places degenerative strain on the user’s skeletal system while also reducing their quality of life (QOL). This study investigated the relationships between smartphone addiction, neck functionality, and QOL among undergraduate students. Methods: A descriptive research design was adopted. Four hundred and four smartphone using undergraduates from a Ghanaian university (207 females, 197 males; mean age = 21.23 ± 1.769 years, who spent a mean of 8.13 ± 5.21 h on their smartphones daily) were recruited. The Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale (CNFDS), and assessment of QOL (AQoL) were used to assess smartphone addiction, functional levels of the neck, and QOL, respectively. Results: Among participants, 79.95% had a high degree of smartphone addiction. 99.26% scored above the normal range (≥20) on the CNFDS. There was a significant positive correlation between participants’ SAS and CNFDS scores ( P = 0.038) and SAS and AQoL scores ( P = 0.001), while CNFDS and AQoL ( P = 0.885) were negatively correlated. Conclusion: Smartphone addiction is associated with neck disability among undergraduate students and negatively affects their QOL. Increasing awareness can alter how people perceive addiction. Further studies are required to understand the causes of smartphone addiction because the study also revealed that the participants were addicted to their phones.