Investigation of Spinal Health and Internet Addiction of Individuals Working Remotely

NCT05098626 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: HUSpine013
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 48
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Low back pain and neck pain are common problems that affect people at certain times in their lives. These people constitute a significant part of the disease burden due to their recurrent complaints. People with low back and neck pain often seek medical attention. This situation causes individuals to apply to the hospital frequently and causes a serious cost at the social level. When the risk factors for neck pain are examined, many factors such as genetics, sleep problems, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, poor posture, previous neck pain, trauma, back pain and poor general health cause neck pain to develop. Similarly, conditions such as age, obesity, and poor general health appear to be risk factors for low back pain. In addition to these risk factors, it has been reported that occupational factors such as long and sedentary working hours and unsuitable workplace conditions may also cause low back and neck pain. Fixed posture and prolonged sitting are thought to be risk factors for low back and neck pain, but opinions on this subject are not clear. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global crisis since 2019 and caused a change in the lifestyle of all people around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that social distance should be increased and face-to-face contact should be reduced to prevent the spread of the pandemic. For this reason, many institutions have decided to work remotely and trainings have been carried out remotely. The increasing teleworking style with the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the average screen time of individuals. It was reported that time spent on the Internet increased by 52% compared to the pre-pandemic period. This study aims to investigate the relationship between increased teleworking hours and internet use during the pandemic period in individuals with low back or neck pain. Researchers think that postural changes that may occur with increased distance working time, increased fixed posture and asymmetrical loading may contribute to the uncertain relationship between low back and neck pain and posture.

Conditions

Posture; Spine; Internet Addiction; Neck Pain; Low Back Pain

Keywords

Posture; Spine; Neck pain; Low back pain; Screen time; Internet addiction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Evaluation of Craniovertebral Angle

  Global Postural System (GPS) will be used for posture evaluation. GPS is a computerized photographic postural assessment system. It consists of a digital camera, a ruler frame, and a stable platform that allows for consistent landmark identification. The craniovertebral angle will be recorded, which provides the most relevant and reproducible data in the assessment of neck posture with GPS. The craniovertebral angle is the angle between a line drawn between the C7 vertebra and the tragus and a horizontal line drawn from C7

  5 minutes, in one assessment session.

• Evaluation of Sternocleidomastoideus Muscle Architecture

  Sternocleidomastoideus muscle will be architecturally evaluated by US using a 5-12 MHz linear probe (GE Logiq E5 ultrasound device) at rest and during muscle activation. Muscle thickness and pennation angle will be recorded.

  5 minutes, in one assessment session.

• Evaluation of Internet Addiction

  This evaluation will be carried out using the Kimberly Young Internet Addiction Questionnaire. The questionnaire consisting of 20 items; evaluate their dependencies in personal, professional and social functions. The questions are scored between 0 and 5 points. A total score between 0 and 30 indicates a normal level of internet use, total scores between 31 and 49 indicate the presence of mild addiction, a total score between 50 and 79 indicates the presence of a moderate level of addiction, and a total score of over 80 indicates the presence of severe internet addiction.

  10 minutes, in one assessment session.

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Evaluation of the Time Spent in Front of the Screen

  2 minutes, in one assessment session.

• Evaluation of Body Mass Index

  2 minutes, in one assessment session.

• Evaluation of Low Back Disability

  5 minutes, in one assessment session.

• Evaluation of Neck Disability

  5 minutes, in one assessment session.

Study Arms (1)

Individuals Working Remotely

Individuals aged between 18-60 and working remotely, who volunteered to participate in the study, will form the study group.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Individuals working remotely during the pandemic

You may qualify if:

• Working online during the pandemic process,
• Have a smart phone,
• Agree to voluntarily participate in the research.

You may not qualify if:

• Have a malignant condition,
• Loss of function due to neurological or systemic disease,
• Having had a surgical operation in the last 6 months,
• Have an unhealed fracture,
• Withdraw consent at any stage of the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hacettepe University: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Internet Addiction Disorder; Neck Pain; Low Back Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Technology Addiction; Behavior, Addictive; Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Behavior; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Back Pain

Study Officials

• Yasemin Özel Aslıyüce, MSc

  Hacettepe University

  STUDY CHAIR

• Dilara Onan, MSc

  Hacettepe University

  STUDY CHAIR

• Müzeyyen Öz, MSc

  Hacettepe University

  STUDY CHAIR

• Özlem Ülger, Professor

  Hacettepe University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Aybüke Fanuscu, MSc

CONTACT

530368130; aybukeseven2@gmail.com

Utku Berberoğlu, MSc

CONTACT

5052017066; utku.berber@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Research Assistant

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 16, 2021
• First Posted: October 28, 2021
• Study Start: March 20, 2022
• Primary Completion: June 20, 2022
• Study Completion: October 1, 2022
• Last Updated: March 15, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share