Department of Rehabilitation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, 20 Chazhong Road, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Department of Orthopedics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, 20 Chazhong Road, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022 Sep 3;23(1):842. doi: 10.1186/s12891-022-05782-z.
Neck pain is widespread among students in healthcare-related fields. Although neck pain is more prevalent in females, since most research involves mixed-sex samples we know very little about sex differences in contributors to neck pain. Thus, this study sought to explore sex differences in the risk factors for neck pain in this high-risk population.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in China in 2021 and included a sample of 1921 undergraduate healthcare students (693 males, 1228 females) from 7 health professional schools at Fujian Medical University. We collected data on neck pain symptoms, demographics, behavioral and psychological factors. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine sex differences in the risk factors of neck pain.
The overall prevalence of neck pain was 41.6% with female students having a higher prevalence than male students (44.4% vs. 36.7%, respectively). The adjusted analyses showed that self-study time ≥ 6 h/day (OR = 1.44, 95% CI:1.13-1.83), flexed neck posture >20 degrees (OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.28-3.74), static duration posture >2 h (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.02-1.97), and psychological distress (high: OR = 2.04, 95% CI:1.42-2.94; very high: OR = 2.50, 95% CI:1.57-3.74; respectively) were independent factors for neck pain in females. Among males, self-study time ≥ 6 h/day (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.02-2.01) and psychological distress (moderate: OR = 2.04, 95% CI:1.28-3.25; high: OR = 2.37, 95% CI:1.49-3.79; very high: OR = 2.97, 95% CI:1.75-5.02; respectively) were significant risk factors for neck pain.
These findings suggest that the risk profiles of neck pain differ between females and males. The modifiable risk factors for neck pain, such as prolonged self-study time and elevated psychological distress, as well as poor posture among females, could be targeted through health promotion interventions in university settings.
颈部疼痛在医学相关专业的学生中普遍存在。尽管女性中颈部疼痛更为常见，但由于大多数研究都涉及混合性别样本，我们对颈部疼痛的性别差异因素知之甚少。因此，本研究旨在探讨高危人群中颈部疼痛的性别差异因素。
这是一项横断面研究，于 2021 年在中国福建医科大学的 7 所卫生专业学校进行，共纳入 1921 名本科医学生（男 693 名，女 1228 名）。我们收集了颈部疼痛症状、人口统计学、行为和心理因素的数据。采用多元回归分析探讨颈部疼痛的性别差异因素。
颈部疼痛总患病率为 41.6%，女生患病率高于男生（分别为 44.4%和 36.7%）。调整分析显示，每天自学时间≥6 小时（OR=1.44，95%CI：1.13-1.83）、颈部前屈姿势>20 度（OR=2.19，95%CI：1.28-3.74）、静态持续时间姿势>2 小时（OR=1.42，95%CI：1.02-1.97）和心理困扰（中：OR=2.04，95%CI：1.42-2.94；高：OR=2.50，95%CI：1.57-3.74）是女性颈部疼痛的独立因素。在男性中，每天自学时间≥6 小时（OR=1.43，95%CI：1.02-2.01）和心理困扰（中度：OR=2.04，95%CI：1.28-3.25；高度：OR=2.37，95%CI：1.49-3.79；非常高：OR=2.97，95%CI：1.75-5.02）是颈部疼痛的显著危险因素。
这些发现表明，女性和男性的颈部疼痛风险特征不同。针对女性的可改变风险因素，如长时间自学和心理困扰，以及不良姿势，可通过大学环境中的健康促进干预来实现。
