Association between internet addiction and the risk of upper cross syndrome in Chinese college students: A cross sectional study

It is well established that increased internet use is related to an increased risk of upper cross syndrome (UCS) among adolescents. The relationship between internet addiction (IA), a unique condition involving severe internet overuse, and UCS has, however, not been reported. This study aimed to investigate the association between IA and the risk of UCS among Chinese college students. This cross sectional study (n = 2552) was conducted in November 2020. IA status was evaluated using the 20-item Young’s Internet Addiction Test. IA was defined as internet addiction score ≥ 50 points. UCS was measured by means of a reference American College of Sports Medicine postural screening. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine association between IA categories (normal, mild, and moderate-to-severe) and UCS. Among all participants, the prevalence of UCS was 59.7%, male and female was reported by 42.2 and 24.8, respectively. The prevalence of IA was 67%, mild and moderate-to-severe of IA was reported by 42.2% and 24.8%, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders (sex, age, single child, father’s educational level, mother’s educational level, smoking status, drinking status, Body mass index, physical activity, Sedentariness, and Depressive symptoms), the results showed significant differences in the risk of UCS among different IA categories. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for UCS with IA categories were 1.000 (reference), 5.19 (4.27, 6.32), and 9.14 (7.14, 11.69), respectively (P for trends: < .001). This cross sectional study showed that severe IA was associated with a higher risk of UCS in Chinese college students. In future research, it will be necessary to explore causality regarding this relationship using interventional studies.