INTERDEPENDENCE OF PROLONGED COMPUTER USAGE AND MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN AMONG UNIVERSITY OF BENIN ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Background: Musculoskeletal pain is a major health concern worldwide. In modern universities, students rely heavily on technology for their studies, which leads to long hours spent on computers. This extended use, especially when combined with bad posture, contributes to MSK pain. Engineering students face an even greater risk as they often need to use specialized software for long hours. However, research on how this issue affects university students in Nigeria is still limited. The aim of this study was to determine the interdependence of prolonged computer usage and musculoskeletal pain among University of Benin Engineering students. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 378 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Benin was conducted. Data was collected using adapted versions of the NMQ and SLUMP Questionnaire. Descriptive of frequency and percentage were used to summarize the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents while inferential statistics of Spearman’s rank correlation, Kruskal–Wallis test and Chi square were used to test the hypotheses. Alpha level was set at 0.05. Results: The findings showed that there was a high level of MSK pain among engineering undergraduates. Most symptoms were reported in the neck and lower back, with severe pain being most common in the lower back. Conclusion: MSK pain is very common among engineering students at the University of Benin, primarily affecting their necks and lower backs. The importance of taking breaks indicates that behavioral habits play a crucial role in managing this issue among this population.