Is cell phone use associated with neck pain and disability in skills of daily activities in young adults? / Há relação entre uso do celular com dor cervical e incapacidade nas habilidades das atividades diárias em adultos jovens?

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Some authors correlate incorrect head and neck postures during cell phone use with cervical pain. The objective, therefore, is to correlate the constant use of cell phones with discomfort in the cervical region and the repercussion on daily activities in college students. METHODS: Cross-sectional study carried out between July 2019 and March 2020 using the questionnaires "Smartphone Addiction Inventory Instrument", "Neck Disability Index" and "Young Spine Questionnaire", and also a questionnaire about demographic and socioeconomic data. The nutritional status of the participants was also evaluated and the degree of anteriorization of the head was measured in relation to the spinous process of the seventh cervical. RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 18.47±0.65 years. There was a significant statistical association between Smartphone dependence and cervical pain, and adolescents with Smartphone use dependency had the highest percentages of doctor visits for cervical pain. There was no association between smartphone dependence and absence from school or not playing sports due to pain in the spine; nutritional status; the angle of the neck and the father or mother having pain in the spine. Students with smartphone use dependency had the highest percentages of mild to moderate disability in the skills of daily activities. CONCLUSION: Dependence on cell phone use, in this study, is related to cervical pain and disability in the skills of daily activities.

RESUMO JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Alguns autores correlacionam com dor cervical posturas de cabeça e pescoço durante o uso do celular consideradas incorretas. Objetivou-se, portanto, verificar a associação do uso constante de celular com desconforto na região cervical e repercussão nas atividades diárias em estudantes universitários. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal realizado entre julho de 2019 e março de 2020 através da aplicação dos questionários Smartphone Addiction Inventory Instrument, Neck Disability Index e Young Spine Questionnaire, além de um questionário contendo dados demográficos e socioeconômicos. Foi avaliado, ainda, o estado nutricional dos participantes e mensurado o grau de anteriorização da cabeça em relação ao processo espinhoso da sétima vértebra cervical. RESULTADOS: A média etária dos participantes foi 18,47±0,65 anos. Houve associação estatística significativa entre o uso de celular com dor cervical. Os adolescentes com tempo prolongado de uso do celular foram os que apresentaram maior frequência de consulta médica por dor na região cervical. Não houve associação entre uso de celular e ausência na escola ou não praticar esporte devido a dor na coluna, o estado nutricional, o ângulo do pescoço e o fato de pai ou mãe ter dor na coluna. Os adolescentes com dependência de celular foram os que tiveram maior frequência de incapacidade leve a moderada nas habilidades das atividades diárias. CONCLUSÃO: A dependência do celular apresentou, neste estudo, uma relação com dores na coluna cervical e incapacidade nas habilidades das atividades diárias.

An approach to aircraft seat comfort using interface pressure mapping.

The objective of the present study is to propose a method to dynamically evaluate discomfort of a passenger seat by measuring the interface pressure between the occupant and the seat during the performance of the most common activities of a typical flight. This article reports the results of resting and reading studies performed in a simulator that represents the interior of a commercial aircraft.

The use of thermal manikin to evaluate interface pressure distribution.

The use of a thermal buttocks manikin was explored as a tool to standardize the evaluation of seat comfort. Thermal manikin buttocks were developed and calibrated thermally and anatomically to simulate the sensible heat transfer of a seated person and used to evaluate interface pressure distribution. In essence, the pressure maps of manikin buttocks with and without heating were compared to those of a seated person. The results of average pressure demonstrated that the thermal manikins have a better response in interface pressure measurement than manikins without heating.