Frequency and associated risk factors for neck pain among software engineers in Karachi,Pakistan

Objective: to determine the frequency of neck pain and its association with risk factors among software engineers. methods: this descriptive,cross-sectional study was conducted at the dow university of health sciences,karachi,from february to march 2016,and comprised software engineers from 19 different locations. non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to select individuals spending at least 6 hours in front of computer screens every day and having a work experience of at least 6 months. data were collected using a self-administrable questionnaire. spss 21 was used for data analysis. results: of the 185 participants,49(26.5%) had neck pain at the time of data-gathering,while 136(73.5%) reported no pain. however,119(64.32%) participants had a previous history of neck pain. other factors like smoking,physical inactivity,history of any muscular pain and neck pain,uncomfortable workstation,and work-related mental stress and insufficient sleep at night,were found to be significantly associated with current neck pain (p<0.05 each). conclusion: intensive computer users are likely to experience at least one episode of computer-associated neck pain. © 2017,pakistan medical association. all rights reserved.