Due to the increasing popularity of smartphones and tablets, as well as the growth of television channels, computer games and educational applications, children and teens are spending more time in front of screens, sometimes with poor posture, which can lead to back pain. and other issues.
This study by Brazilian researchers, funded by FAPESP and reported in an article published in the scientific journal Healthcare, identified several risk factors for spinal health, such as sitting for more than three hours a day. Screen viewing, proximity of the eyes to the screen, and sitting or lying on the stomach.
The study focused on thoracic spine pain (TSP). The thoracic spine is located behind the chest (thorax), mostly between the shoulder blades, extending from the bottom of the neck to the beginning of the lumbar spine.
The analyzed data came from a survey of 14- to 18-year-old male and female students in their first and second year of high school in Bauru, a medium-sized city in São Paulo state. A baseline questionnaire was completed in March–June. 1,628 participants took part in 2017, of whom 1,393 completed a follow-up questionnaire in 2018.
The analysis showed a one-year prevalence (proportion of TSP reporting in both the baseline and follow-up surveys) of 38.4% and a one-year incidence (new TSP reported only in the follow-up survey) of 10.1%. More girls than boys reported TSP.
Risk factors TSP is common in various age groups of the general population worldwide, with a prevalence of 15%–35% in adults and 13%–35% in children and adolescents. The explosive growth in the use of electronic devices during the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly made the problem worse. The risk factors associated with TSP are physical, physiological, psychological, and behavioral, according to several investigations.
There is also strong evidence of the effects of physical activity, sedentary habits and mental disorders on spinal health. All of these factors are considered important in the latest global review of evidence and guidelines by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The study can be used to inform health education programs for school students, teachers, staff and parents,” said Alberto Di Vitta, first author of the article. He holds a PhD in Education from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Public Health at the São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Botucatu.
“It is in line with some of the objectives of the National Curriculum Standards [PCN, Brazilian government guidelines for secondary schools]According to which schools are responsible for health education, which includes identification of risks to individual and collective health and interventions to deal with them, as well as promoting habits of self-care in relation to the possibilities and limitations of the body,” Vitta said, who is currently teaching and researching at Aduvale College as a faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy in Avare, São Paulo State, and Sapucai in Education, Knowledge and Society in São Alegre, Minas Gerais State. Valley University graduate programs.
Information on risk factors for TSP in high school students is important because children and teens with back pain are more inactive, achieve less academically and have more psychological problems, according to the article.
Furthermore, fewer studies have been done on TSP than on low back and neck pain. A systematic review of the literature on TSP found only two prospective studies regarding prognostic factors.