Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Pains Among Newly Admitted University Students: A Cross-sectional Study

This study aimed to examine Musculoskeletal Pains (MPs) among newly admitted university students and investigate the effect of gender differences on the prevalence of MPs.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 2641 university students (1303 men, 1338 women). The study data were collected from the Health Center of the University of Tehran in the fall of 2019. Musculoskeletal pains in students were examined using the Nordic questionnaire. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and the Chi-squared test.

The highest prevalence rates of MPs in the past 12 months, past 7 days, and problems that inhibited routine activities in the past 12 months were reported in the neck area (13.4%, 5.8%, and 10.5%, respectively), and the lowest rates in the elbow (1.5%, 0.6%, and 1%, respectively). Findings also indicated a significant difference between men and women regarding MPs in the neck and shoulders in all three items of the Nordic questionnaire (P<0.05).

Based on these results, it is necessary to prevent musculoskeletal pains, especially in the neck and back, among the newly admitted students to the university.