PREVALENCE OF TEXT NECK SYNDROME AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BAGHDAD, AL-KINDY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE 2025

Background: Text neck syndrome” has become an emerging public health issue of the twenty-first century. The clinical condition of text neck syndrome is degeneration of the cervical spinal. The study aimed to find out the prevalence of text neck syndrome and disability among medical students at the University of Baghdad, College of Medicine, Al-Kindy, Iraq. Results: The study revealed that 236 medical students (69.0%) have text neck syndrome, with higher prevalence among older students, females, and those in grades 4 and 5 (P < 0.05). More than half experience mild disability (57.6%), followed by moderate (22.5%), severe (9.9%), none (8.8%), and complete disability (1.2%). Univariate logistic regression showed that age groups 21-23 and 24-26 years are more likely to have neck disability compared to 18-20 years [odds ratios: 1.79 (P=0.019) and 2.42 (P=0.050)]. Additionally, female students are more likely to experience neck disability than males [odds ratios: 2.02 (P=0.002) and 2.35 (P=0.001)]. Conclusions: The current study concluded that the prevalence of text neck text syndrome is so high with a mild to moderate neck disability. More emphasis should be placed on raising awareness of the necessity of maintaining appropriate sitting posture and limiting the duration of mobile phone use.