Effect of Internet Addiction on Academic Achievement and Musculoskeletal Disorders of University Students

Today, various platforms, including virtual networks and websites, connect people with a lot of data via Internet. The attractiveness of these platforms sometimes makes people use them addictively. Uncontrolled use of the Internet may also cause problems such as reducing academic performance and creating musculoskeletal problems.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 students at one of the universities of medical sciences. Four demographic questionnaires, Young's Internet addiction, Pham and Taylor's academic achievement and Nordic questionnaire were used to collect information. Data analysis was done using descriptive tests and Pearson's correlation, by SPSS V.16 software at a significance level of 0.05.

The highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was related to the upper back (40.8%), lower back (36%) and neck (33.8%) regions. Among different parts of the body, reports of pain in the neck, shoulder, and wrist had a significant relationship with Internet addiction (P-Value: 0.038, 0.007, and 0.029, respectively). No significant relationship was found between different levels of Internet addiction and academic achievement.

The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is one of the complications of incorrect and unprincipled use of Internet-related equipment; Therefore, these problems can be reduced by providing appropriate educational platforms and creating a correct culture of using emerging technologies.