Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39044247›Full record

ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2024

The impact of smartphone use duration and posture on the prevalence of hand pain among college students.

Faeze Dehghan Banadaki, Benyamin Rahimian, Fatemeh Moraveji, Sakineh Varmazyar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The impact of handheld devices on the wrist and thumb: a systematic review.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2025
    Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Faeze Dehghan BanadakiDepartment of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Student Research Committee, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8010-5448
Benyamin RahimianDepartment of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Student Research Committee, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-6161-897X
Fatemeh MoravejiDepartment of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Student Research Committee, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-8283-3636
Sakineh VarmazyarDepartment of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Student Research Committee, Social Determinants Health Research Center and Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran. svarmazyar@qums.ac.ir.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6096-072X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExcessive smartphone usage among students can lead to discomfort in their hands and fingers. This study investigates the impact of smartphone holding posture, duration of usage, and the prevalence of wrist and finger pain among university students.

methodsThis cross-sectional study involved 213 university students who were selected based on inclusion criteria. Data was collected through a demographic information questionnaire. Participants self-reported five different postures for holding and interacting with a smartphone. The prevalence, frequency, severity, and interference of wrist and finger discomfort were assessed using the Cornell Hand Discomfort Questionnaires (CHDQ).

resultsThe study revealed that the average age of participants was 21.3 ± 2.2 years. On average, they had been using smartphones for 7.9 ± 3.1 years and spent an average of 4.9 ± 2.5 h daily holding them in their hands. In terms of discomfort, more than 25% of students reported pain in areas C (thumb finger), E (Palm Pollicis), and F (wrist) of the right hand, which was significantly related to the duration of holding the smartphone in that hand. Additionally, smartphone holding duration significantly affected areas D (palm) and F of the left hand, with over 11% of students experiencing discomfort. The most prevalent posture among students (41% of participants) involved holding the smartphone with the right hand only, with the thumb touching the screen. Notably, areas B (χ

conclusionsThe duration of smartphone use and the postures in which it is held contribute to the prevalence of discomfort in the thumb area and related muscles among right-handed students.

Indexed as

PostureSmartphoneStudentsAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHandHumansMaleMusculoskeletal PainPrevalenceSurveys and QuestionnairesTime FactorsUniversitiesYoung AdultDurationPosturePrevalenceSmartphoneStudent

Identifiers

PMID39044247
PMCPMC11265474

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.