Swipe smart, not hard: hand health of smartphone users in a university population.

Authors

Sara Seixas Cardoso, Fábia Natacha Oliveira Pereira da Silva, João Manuel Costa Ferreira Torres, Vítor Duarte Gonçalves Vidinha

Published in

Ergonomics. Pages 1-10. Jun 27, 2026. Epub Jun 27, 2026.

Abstract

Despite widespread smartphone use, research on its impact on musculoskeletal health among lower-dependence European populations remains limited. This cross-sectional study explored smartphone-related hand symptoms among 585 Portuguese university students across 14 faculties. Participants completed an online survey including sociodemographic data, smartphone-use patterns, the Mobile Phone Dependence Test (TMD) and the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) score. Nearly 60% reported hand symptoms, mostly pain and tingling. Increased TMD scores and symptom frequency were significantly associated with greater functional disability (p < 0.001), although daily usage and device features were not. Women experienced higher disability (β = 3.64, 95% CI [1.81-5.49]), with twice the odds of symptoms compared with men (OR = 2.41, 95% CI [1.22-4.78]). One-handed device uses also markedly increased symptom risk. These findings highlight the prevalence and functional impact of smartphone-related hand symptoms and advocate for ergonomic interventions promoting early symptom recognition and two-handed use.

PMID:
42363893
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 27 Jun 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.