What is it about?
Chronic neck pain is a prevalent condition worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, its frequency increased, partly due to greater screen time. However, three years later, population-based studies have not assessed whether changes in screen use patterns persist or relate to trends in chronic neck pain.
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Why is it important?
Our findings show that chronic neck pain remains a common problem in Peru. By early 2025, it affected 15 out of every 100 adults on a daily basis. This figure is similar to that observed in November 2022, shortly after the end of pandemic-related social restrictions. Digital habits between 2022 and 2025 indicate a growing dependence on electronic devices, which may be associated with adverse effects such as prolonged screen exposure and the adoption of static and poor postures that affect the cervical spine.
Perspectives
I believe that the results of this study highlight the need to reduce excessive screen exposure, both at work and during leisure time. Prolonged staring at electronic device screens is a modifiable behavior. Therefore, prevention strategies should focus on promoting proper postural habits, including avoiding prolonged flexion of the cervical spine and reducing sedentary lifestyles that involve sustained static neck postures.
Franco Romani
Universidad de Piura
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Screen time and chronic neck pain in Peru: A comparative population-based cross-sectional study in the COVID-19 post-pandemic period, PLOS One, March 2026, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0344257.
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