RELATIONSHIP OF SMARTPHONE ADDICTION WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL DISCOMFORT AMONG UNDERGRADUATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Background: With the rapid advancement of digital technology, smartphones have become indispensable handheld devices, integrating communication, education, and entertainment into a single tool. Their widespread use across all age groups, particularly among students, has raised concerns about physical and psychological health consequences. Prolonged smartphone use is associated with poor posture and repetitive strain, contributing to musculoskeletal discomfort. As this behavior becomes habitual, particularly in youth, identifying its health impact has become a growing public health priority. Objective: To determine the correlation between smartphone addiction and musculoskeletal discomfort among undergraduate university students. Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on 150 undergraduate students from the Foundation University Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, using a non-probability convenience sampling technique. Participants aged 18–25 years with daily smartphone usage of 4–5 hours were included. Data collection tools included a self-structured demographic form, the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), and the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ). Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained prior to data collection. IBM SPSS version 20 was used for statistical analysis. As the data were non-normally distributed (p < 0.05), Spearman’s rank correlation was applied. Results: Of the 150 participants, 93.5% (n=143) were female and 5.2% (n=8) male, with a mean age of 21.04 ± 1.89 years. Smartphone addiction was observed in 32.7% (n=50) of the participants. The most frequently reported musculoskeletal discomforts were in the neck (61.4%, n=94), lower back (53.6%, n=82), and upper back (47.1%, n=72). A moderate positive correlation was found between smartphone addiction and musculoskeletal discomfort, particularly in the neck (r = 0.267, p = 0.001), upper back (r = 0.352, p < 0.001), and upper limbs (p < 0.05). Conclusion: A significant positive correlation exists between smartphone addiction and musculoskeletal discomfort among undergraduate students, particularly in the neck, upper back, and upper limbs.