Risk factors of musculoskeletal symptoms among mobile device users during work from home

Abstract

Objectives. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting people throughout the world. People are forced to conduct various activities at home using mobile devices (MDs) as a result of the outbreak. In this case, prolonged use of MDs is the major cause for work-related health problems. Methods. We used systematic cluster random sampling to sample a diverse group of Indians from India’s various states. Subjects filled out a questionnaire with questions about their demographics, MD usage and musculoskeletal symptoms (MSSs) faced. The relationship between MSSs and various factors was investigated using χ² and binomial logistic regression analysis. Results. An online survey yielded 720 responses. More than half of employees registered MSSs in their upper body regions. Age, gender and MD usage were correlated with MSSs in various body regions. According to the binomial logistic regression findings, gender was significantly linked to MSSs in each body region. Conclusions. Results show that MDs can be used effectively in intermediate leisure activities if they are used in accordance with their basic needs.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• device usage
• musculoskeletal health
• musculoskeletal symptoms
• work from home

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge the National Project Implementing Unit and the Ministry of Human Resources Development for funding support in this study. The authors thank the anonymous referees for their valuable comments, which have improved the contents and format of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Collaborative Research Scheme implemented by the National Project Implementing Unit (NPIU) funded by Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India [Grant 1-5727963012].