Symptom Severity, Posture, Pain, and Physical Activity in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Investigation of Symptom Severity, Posture, Musculoskeletal Pain, and Physical Activity Levels in Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

This study is a cross-sectional research designed to investigate symptom severity, posture, musculoskeletal pain, and physical activity levels in individuals with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Musculoskeletal Pain; Physical Activity; Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD); Symptom

Detailed Description

Symptom severity will be assessed using the GERD-Q and PROMIS GERD scales. Postural assessment will be performed using the Posture Screen Lite application. Musculoskeletal pain will be evaluated with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and a body diagram, while physical activity levels will be measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).

The aim of the study is to determine whether GERD is associated not only with gastrointestinal symptoms but also with functional parameters such as posture, pain, and physical activity level.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 51

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Nurcan Contarli, PhD; Phone Number: +90 370 418 9171; Email: nurcancontarli@karabuk.edu.tr

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with and without Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Age between 18 and 65 years
• Willingness to participate in the study assessments

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of a diagnosed psychiatric disorder
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding status

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
GERD patient group; Age between 18 and 65 years patient who has GERD
control group; Age between 18 and 65 years patient who has not GERD

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GERD-Q)	The GERD-Q is a six-item Likert-type questionnaire that assesses the frequency of GERD-related symptoms over the past week. The first four items evaluate symptom frequency and are used for the diagnosis of the disease and monitoring treatment response. The remaining two items assess the impact of the disease on daily life, including over-the-counter medication use and sleep disturbance. Each item is scored on a four-point scale ranging from 0 to 3 according to symptom frequency. In items 1, 2, 5, and 6, scores increase from 0 to 3 with increasing symptom frequency, whereas in items 3 and 4, scoring is reversed.	1 day
PROMIS GERD Scale	The PROMIS GERD scale consists of 13 items. Each item is scored on a scale ranging from 0 to 4 points, and the total score is obtained by summing all item scores. According to the original scoring system, a score of 0 indicates no symptoms, scores of 1-3 indicate minimal symptoms, scores of 4-7 indicate mild symptoms, scores of 8-15 indicate moderate symptoms, and scores of 16 and above indicate severe symptoms.	1 day
Postural Analysis	Posture Screen Lite is a posture analysis, body composition, and movement assessment software designed for use on iOS and Android devices with built-in camera systems. In this study, posture will be assessed using the iPad-based Posture Screen Lite application. Participants will be assessed wearing appropriate clothing that leaves the upper trunk and lower legs exposed. Photographs will be taken from anterior, posterior, and right and left lateral views using a smartphone, without placing reference markers on the participant beforehand. The captured images will then be analyzed using the Posture Screen Lite software by identifying anatomical reference points on the photographs.	1 day
Visual Analog Scale (VAS)	The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) will be used to assess pain intensity. VAS has been shown to be a valid and reliable method that is sensitive to small changes in clinical pain and treatment-related pain intensity. Participants will be asked to indicate their pain level on a 10-cm horizontal line, ranging from "0" (no pain) to "10" (worst imaginable pain). In addition, participants will mark the location(s) of their pain on a body diagram to determine pain distribution and localization.	1 day
International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)	The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was developed by Craig et al. (2003) to assess physical activity levels. The short form consists of seven items and evaluates physical activity performed during the last seven days. Only activities lasting at least 10 minutes at a time are considered. Participants report the duration (in minutes) of vigorous activities (e.g., weight lifting, fast cycling, aerobic exercises, team sports), moderate activities (e.g., table tennis, folk dances, light load carrying), and walking. These values are converted into metabolic equivalent (MET) scores, and total physical activity level is calculated as MET-min/week. Based on the results, participants can be classified as inactive, minimally active, or highly active.	1 day

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Karabuk University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 7, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 7, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 12, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 7, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Esophageal Diseases; Esophageal Motility Disorders; Deglutition Disorders; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Signs and Symptoms; Musculoskeletal Pain; Gastroesophageal Reflux; Motor Activity
• Other Study ID Numbers: KBU-FTR-NC-09

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