SynthesisBMC public health2025
The associations between sedentary behavior and neck pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Motor control training versus soft tissue therapy in the treatment of upper crossed syndrome: a randomized controlled pilot trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- A skin-conformal liquid metal strain sensor integrating deep learning for neck motion monitoring.iScience · 2026Article
- Association Between Sedentary Behavior and the Development of New-Onset Chronic Pain in Older American Adults: Insights From the Health and Retirement Study.American journal of health promotion : AJHP · 2026Article
- Screen Time, Sitting Time, Physical Activity, and Multisite Musculoskeletal Pain in University Students: Implications for Preventive Healthcare.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Digital and Remote Interventions for Musculoskeletal Aging: Real-Time Muscle Strain Severity Detection Using Artificial Intelligence.Biosensors · 2026Article
- Pain and its association with device-measured activity patterns in older adults: age and sex differences in a population-based cross-sectional study.European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity · 2026Article
- Caring for the 'Heads-Down Generation': Screen Time and Physical Health Complaints Among Adolescents in Poland.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Development and Validation of a Nomogram for Predicting Recurrence in Patients Previously Treated Conservatively for Cervical Spondylosis.International journal of general medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- Screen time and chronic neck pain in Peru: A comparative population-based cross-sectional study in the COVID-19 post-pandemic period.PloS one · 2026Article
- Associations of smartphone addiction and physical activity with sleep quality and neck/shoulder symptoms in university students: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Unveiling the sedentary epidemic through insights from college students in Guangdong.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Assessment of the Burden of Chronic Neck and/or Shoulder Pain on Quality of Life Among Saudi Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of pain research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThis study aimed to systematically evaluate the associations between sedentary behavior (SB) in daily life and the risk of neck pain (NP), and to investigate the dose-response relationships between these variables across different populations, including variations in age, sex, occupation, and lifestyle practices.
methodsWe conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase for cross-sectional, cohort and case-control studies examining the association between SB and NP risk. The National Institute of Health (NIH) quality assessment tool was utilized to evaluate study quality. Odds ratios (ORs) and relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association between SB and NP. Due to significant heterogeneity among the studies, a random-effects model was employed for the meta-analysis to obtain pooled estimates.
resultsA total of 25 studies with 43,184 participants met the eligibility criteria. Overall, the meta-analysis revealed a significant relationship between SB and NP (OR = 1.46, 95%CI: 1.33, 1.60). Subgroup analyses revealed that the risk of NP was greater in female (OR = 1.43, 95%CI: 1.22, 1.67) than in male (OR = 1.13, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.27) and was greater in employees (OR = 1.97, 95%CI: 1.70, 2.28) than in students (OR = 1.26, 95%CI: 1.15, 1.39). Among screen-based SB, using mobile phones conferred the greatest risk of NP (OR = 1.82, 95%CI: 1.27, 2.61), followed by using computers (OR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.08, 1.40), whereas watching TV was not a significant risk (OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 0.99, 1.44). Moreover, SB ≥ 4 h per day (h/d) increased the risk of NP (OR = 1.60, 95%CI: 1.38, 1.87), and the risk further increased with SB ≥ 6 h/d (OR = 1.88, 95%CI: 1.42, 2.48). The risk of NP increased with a screen-based SB dose ≥ 1 h/d (OR = 1.28, 95%CI: 1.17, 1.44), ≥ 2 h/d (OR = 1.35, 95%CI: 1.18, 1.55), and ≥ 4 h/d (OR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.26, 1.67).
conclusionSB is a notable risk factor for NP, with the risk escalating with longer durations of sedentary time. Targeted preventative measures, particularly for high-risk groups like female and employees, are necessary. Public health initiatives should encourage the reduction of sedentary behaviors and the promotion of physical activity to enhance neck health and alleviate the global prevalence of NP.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.