Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Neck Pain in Undergraduate Physiotherapy Students at Taif University

Abstract

Background: Individuals seeking healthcare treatments frequently express neck pain as the main complaint. Due to the significant expenditures imposed on society and healthcare facilities, as well as their detrimental influence on the daily activities of persons living with such experiences, acute and chronic pain has become a public health crisis. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with neck problems in undergraduate physiotherapy students. Material and methods: Between February and May 2021, all undergraduate students enrolled in the bachelor of physiotherapy programme at Taif University, Saudi Arabia, were invited to participate in this study. Students completed a questionnaire, eliciting information on the prevalence of neck problems and possible risk factors (environmental, educational exposure, and students’ demographic characteristics). The students were sent a link to the survey created using ‘Google’ form via email and ‘WhatsApp’. Results: The study comprised 164 (91 male, 73 female) physical therapy students from a total of 180 students at the college of applied medical science (response rate = 91%). The prevalence of neck problems was 48.8%. Being of female gender (odds ratio 0.389) (CI 0.208-0.733) and having educational exposure (odds ratio 0.746, CI 0.568-0.979; odds ratio 0.633, CI 0.465-0.86, respectively) are significantly associated with neck problems. Conclusions: Students and lecturers should attend to the risk factors associated with developing neck problems in undergraduate physiotherapy students. Addressing these risk factors could lead to a later reduction in neck problems in practice.