Abstract:

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate the effect of physical characteristics, posture, position of monitor and keyboard and computer using duration on neck pain of university students using desktop computers. Material and Methods: The study included 201 university students (94 females, 107 males) with an average age of 22.1±2.1years. To evaluate the physical characteristics of the students and positions while using computer, the ‘Computer Use Position’ from the fifth part of the ‘Scanning Form for the Prevalence and Risk Factors in Computer Users’ was used to record three positions and computer usage duration as daily (hours/day) and total (years). Results: Neck pain due to computer use was determined in 55.7 % (n=112) of the students. In respect of neck pain during computer use, incorrect posture and female gender created a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference was found related to neck pain in terms of duration of computer usage (p>0.05). conclusion: From the results of the study, it was seen that the university students preferred a posture with the neck and upper back in flexion which caused pain in the neck area. Ergonomic improvement would improve postural alignment during computer use and decrease the problems which develop in the musculoskeletal system

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