Search

The smartphone emerges as an inevitable gadget in modern society and its increased usage results in neck disorders among its users. However, the factors associated with neck disorders among smartphone users are ambiguous and less explored in the literature. The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, and its association with neck disorders among university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 313 university students who were aged 18 years and older, owned a smartphone, and used it during the preceding 12 months participated in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, neck disorders, and the level of physical activity. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between the prevalence of neck disorders and text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, and level of physical activity. The 12 months prevalence of neck disorders due to smartphone use among the participants was found to be 46%. The neck disorders were more prevalent among participants who reported text neck posture (P < 0.001) and categorized as smartphone-addicted/overuse (P < 0.001). Measures to promote the awareness of healthy use of smartphones including postural education and to decrease its screen time are warranted to reduce neck disorders.

The validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) has been mostly studied in North America and Europe. We investigated the psychometric validation of the Arabic version of the PAQ-C in students in Saudi Arabia. The students (n = 327, age = 8–14 years) of six primary schools in the Majmaah region participated in the study. Participants completed the PAQ-C, and their demographics were recorded. The PAQ-C scores satisfied the following factor analysis assumptions: diagonal elements of the anti-image correlation matrix (>0.5), Bartlett’s test of sphericity (p < 0.001), determinant (>0.00001), Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test of sampling adequacy (>0.8), and communality (all values > 0.2). Exploratory factor analysis results were inconclusive, with two measures favoring a 2-factor solution (Kaiser’s criteria (Eigenvalue ≥ 1), and cumulative variance rule (>40%)); whereas, the scree test and the Monte Carlo parallel analysis favored a 1-factor structure. The confirmatory factor analysis favored a 1-factor solution: highest CFI, lowest RMSEA, non-significant χ2 statistics, and lowest χ2/df. The values of item-total correlation, corrected item-total correlation, and Cronbach’s alpha if an item was deleted, ranged from 0.20–0.57, 0.42–0.64, and 0.70–0.75, respectively. The PAQ-C showed a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.74. A 1-factor structure of the Arabic version of the PAQ-C had adequate psychometric validity in schoolchildren in Saudi Arabia.

Background Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal problem globally. While spending a longer time in sedentary behaviors is linked to several health problems; the quantitative association between different amounts of sedentary time and LBP is still unknown. This study aims to systematically review studies that examined the association between sedentary behavior and LBP development and LBP-related outcomes. Methods This systematic review and meta-analysis retrieved journal articles published from inception to March 2020 and were obtained by searching bibliographical databases. We included longitudinal study designs, including adult (aged ≥18) individuals with nonspecific LBP, and reporting estimates of the association between sedentary behavior and LBP development and LBP-related outcomes (i.e., pain intensity and disability). Results Sixteen longitudinal studies with 100,002 participants were included in this review (eight studies included in quantitative syntheses with 83,111 participants). The results of meta-analyses showed that a sedentary time of 3–8 (OR 0.92, 95% CI [0.85–1.00]) hours per day (h/d) was not associated with LBP development. A sedentary time of ≥3 h/d was associated with poor LBP-related disability (OR 1.24, 95% CI [1.02–1.51]), but not with pain intensity. Conclusion A meta-analyses of longitudinal studies indicated that sedentary behavior of different durations was not associated with LBP development. However, the results showed that sedentary behavior ≥3 h/d was associated with worse LBP-related disability. These conclusions are tentative as the evidence was derived from mostly fair-quality studies using subjective measures of sedentary behavior. Systematic review registration PROSPERO (registration number CRD42018107078).

Generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) is common among schoolchildren and usually benign. However, it may progressively lead to joint pain and developmental delay. Identifying GJH in school-aged children would facilitate the monitoring of early changes and planning for early rehabilitative intervention. Epidemiological studies addressing the prevalence of GJH among children in the Gulf region and Arab ethnicity are lacking. Hence, we aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern, and factors associated with GJH among school-aged children in the Majmaah region, Saudi Arabia. Male and female school-aged children 8–14 years of age from the Majmaah region of Saudi Arabia participated in this cross-sectional study. Beighton score was used to assess GJH. Personal characteristics such as age, height, weight, body mass index, and handedness were also collected. Descriptive statistics were obtained for personal characteristics, the point prevalence of hypermobility, frequency of Beighton score distribution, and prevalence of GJH. The associations between specific factors and the presence of GJH were analyzed using chi-square and Mann-whitney tests. Using the Beighton score cutoff ≥ 4 and ≥ 6, 15.2% and 7.6% of the school children in our study were diagnosed with GJH respectively. The prevalence of GJH was higher among females (16.8%) than among males (13.4%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The elbow joints (17.2%) were the most common hypermobile joints and the trunk (0.7%) was the least involved. The children with GJH were younger and had lesser BMI compared to children without GJH (P

Background The Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) is a patient-reported screening instrument that can be used to identify and assess central sensitization (CS)/Central Sensitization Syndrome (CSS)-related symptoms. Objective The aim was to translate the CSI into Arabic (CSI-Ar) and to subsequently validate its psychometric properties. Design Cross-sectional. Methods The CSI was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Arabic, and validated following international standardized guidelines. This study included patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (n = 264) and healthy control participants (n = 56). Patients completed the CSI-Ar, Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale (DASS-21), Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), and 5-level EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D). Patients completed the CSI-Ar twice to assess test–retest reliability. To evaluate discriminative validity, healthy controls participants completed the CSI-Ar. Statistical analyses were conducted to test the internal consistency, reliability, and structural, construct and discriminant validity of CSI-Ar. Results The CSI-Ar showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.919) and excellent test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.874). The CSI-Ar scale had significant correlations (P < 0.001) with all PCS subscales and total score (Spearman’s rho = 0.459–0.563, P < 0.001), all DASS-21 subscales and total score (Spearman’s rho = 0.599–0.685, P < 0.001), the TSK (Spearman’s rho = 0.395, P < 0.001), and the EQ-5D (Spearman’s rho = −0.396, P < 0.001). The Mann-Whitney U-test showed a statistically significant difference between the patient group and the healthy control group (P < 0.001), with the healthy controls displaying a lower average CSI-Ar score (12.27 ± 11.50) when compared to the patient group (27.97 ± 16.08). Factor analysis indicated that the CSI-Ar is a unidimensional tool. Conclusion The CSI-Ar is a reliable and valid screening tool that can be used to assess CS/CSS-related symptoms in Arabic-speaking people with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is common in Saudi Arabia, has a significant impact on quality of life (QoL), and lacks a specific questionnaire to measure QoL. The primary objective of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Mini Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Quality of Life (Mini-OAKHQOL) questionnaire into Arabic and to determine its psychometric properties among OA knee and/or hip patients in Saudi Arabia. Methods A methodological observational design was conducted and followed standard guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of Mini-OAKHQOL into Saudi Arabic. Two hundred and eight primary OA knee and/or hip male participants aged between 45 and 80 years with a mean age of 58.65 ± 13.8 years and a BMI of 29.5 ± 1.2 kg/m2 were included and performed the stages of translation to target Arabic language (forward T1 and T2), synthesized an Arabic draft (T12), then back-translated to English (BT1 and BT2), followed by expert committee review to rectify the deficiencies leading to a prefinal stage involving a pilot test on native Arabic speakers, thereby finalized a final Arabic version. The Arabic Mini-OAKHQOL, Arabic Short Form 12 (SF12), and visual analog scale (VAS) were administered to analyze internal consistency (IC), test–retest reliability at baseline as well as one week later (up to the 10th day). The construct validity was tested using Spearman’s rank correlation, and factor analysis was done to establish a five-factor fit model. Homogeneity was determined using principal component analysis (PCA). Floor and ceiling effects calculated in percentages. Results The Arabic Mini-OAKHQOL showed an excellent Cronbach’s alpha of the overall scale (α = 0.931) for its internal consistency and an excellent intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.947 for its retest reliability, with a high response rate of 93.75%. The construct validity of this scale was good with Ar-SF12 and VAS pain. A five-factor model fit was considered acceptable, and factor loading for each item found within the permissible limits confirmed the factorial validity. None of the items, dimensions, or overall scale showed either a floor or ceiling effect. Conclusion The adapted and tested Arabic Mini-OAKHQOL is a reliable and valid questionnaire to measure the impact of knee and/or hip OA on quality of life in the Saudi Arabian male OA population to reduce the respondent’s burden for use in clinical and prospective studies.