Effects of Smartphone Use on Posture, Pain, Function and QoL

March 2, 2025 updated by: Sıla Yılmaz, Yeditepe University

Evaluation of the Effects of Smartphone Use on Posture, Pain, Function and Quality of Life in Young Adults

The aim of the study is to determine the effects of the use of smartphone on the neck and shoulder posture, pain, and functions, and the quality of life in young adults. The sample of the study consists of university students. According to the scores they got from the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version, all participants will be divided into two groups. The neck and shoulder posture, pain, and functions, and the quality of life will be compared between the two groups.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The study will include 106 university students who are 18-25 years old. According to the scores they got from the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version, all students will be divided into two groups as Excessive Smartphone Use Group and Non-excessive Smartphone Use Group, both consisting of 53 participants. Participants whose scores are higher than 30 will be included to the Excessive Smartphone Use Group, and whose scores are 30 or less will be included to the Non-excessive Smartphone Use Group. In the assessment of pain level, the Visual Analogue Scale will be used. Functional levels of the neck and shoulders will be evaluated with the Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale and the Shoulder Disability Questionnaire. World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Short Form will be utilized to assess the quality of life. Postural analyzes of the participants will be fulfilled with the New York Posture Rating Chart. All scores will be evaluated by comparing between the two groups.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
106

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey
      • Istanbul, Turkey
        • Yeditepe University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 25 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

The sample of the study will consist of university students.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • To be willing and volunteer to participate in the study
  • To be between 18 and 25 years old
  • To have been using smartphone for more than 1 year

Exclusion Criteria:

  • To have any health problem history or diagnosed pathology related with the neck or shoulder regions
  • To have any history of trauma or surgery related to the neck or shoulder regions
  • To have received any medical attention or treatment in the last six months because of a health problem related to neck or shoulder
  • To have any diagnosed neurological problem

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Case-Control
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Excessive Smartphone Use Group
Participants whose Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version scores are higher than 30
Other: Assessment
The structured questionnaire, Visual Analogue Scale, Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale, Shoulder Disability Questionnaire, World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Short Form, and Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version will be applied to all participants respectively. Lastly, posture analysis will be performed to all participants by using the New York Posture Rating Chart.
Non-excessive Smartphone Use Group
Participants whose Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version scores are 30 or less
Other: Assessment
The structured questionnaire, Visual Analogue Scale, Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale, Shoulder Disability Questionnaire, World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Short Form, and Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version will be applied to all participants respectively. Lastly, posture analysis will be performed to all participants by using the New York Posture Rating Chart.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Posture
Time Frame: 1 day (Instant single measure)
Posture will be examined with New York Posture Rating Chart which is a quantitative approach to assess the alignment of various body parts from posterior and lateral. The total score calculated after the evaluation is at most 65, and at least 13. The low score indicates impairments in posture.
1 day (Instant single measure)
Pain level
Time Frame: 1 day (Instant single measure)
In the assessment of the neck and shoulder pain levels the Visual Analogue Scale will be used. This scale is 10 cm long, and has two ends on a horizontal line. One of these two ends is called as "0", while one is named as "10". "0" point defines no pain, and "10" points describe the most severe pain.
1 day (Instant single measure)
Neck function
Time Frame: 1 day (Instant single measure)
Functional level of the neck will be evaluated with the Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale. It is a valid and reliable tool for self-assessment of cervical pain and related disabilities, developed by Jordan el al. in 1998. The minimum score of the scale is 0, while the maximum score is 30. Disability level increases as the total score increases.
1 day (Instant single measure)
Shoulder function
Time Frame: 1 day (Instant single measure)
Functional level of the shoulder will be evaluated with the Shoulder Disability Questionnaire. It is a 16-items disability questionnaire related to shoulder pain. The result is calculated with a special formula, and evaluated out of 100. Disability level increases as the total score increases.
1 day (Instant single measure)
Quality of life level
Time Frame: 1 day (Instant single measure)
World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Short Form will be utilized to assess the quality of life of participants. This questionnaire has been developed by World Health Organization, and has been validated in 1999 by Eser et al. in Turkish population. The scale does not have a total score, each field of the scale is evaluated independently in itself and is scored out of 20 or 100 points. The higher the score shows the higher the quality of life level.
1 day (Instant single measure)
Smartphone addiction level
Time Frame: 1 day (Instant single measure)
In determining the smartphone addiction levels of the participants, Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version will be utilized. It is a self-assessment tool questioning smartphone usage, constituted by Kwon et al in 2013. The validity and reliability study of its Turkish version was made by Noyan et al. in 2015. The cut-off score for Turkish population was detected both for male and female students in 2017 by Şata and Karip. The lowest score of the scale is 10, while the highest score is 60. As the score obtained from the scale increases, the severity of smartphone addiction increases.
1 day (Instant single measure)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Yeditepe University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Rasmi Muammer, Professor, Yeditepe University, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
  • Principal Investigator: Sıla Yılmaz, PT, Yeditepe University, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 8, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 8, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 3, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 4, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 5, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 2, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • YU1682

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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