Prevalencia y factores asociados con el dolor de espalda y cuello en estudiantes universitarios

the back pain is a public health problem due to lifetime prevalence that increases the health system costs and affect of the quality of life of people. in university students high prevalence rates between 30-70% is related to functional limitation in activities of daily living. intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as age, gender, physical activity practice and time spent using a computer are associated to neck and lumbar pain. the studies reported positive and significant association between the ages older than 20 or 21 years with lumbar pain. the female gender, academic years and hours per week in computer were associated to back pain in several locations. conflicting evidence was found for the association between physical activity and back pain. the practice of some sports as well as suspend sport practice is associated with an increased risk of lumbar pain. additionally, psychological factors should be considered also to understand the problem of neck and back pain. in university students, research on association between sitting and back pain are few, but in general population have been described the biomechanical aspects related to body alignment, muscle activation, the relationship between posture and intradiscal pressure, as well as ergonomic factors and contextual factors affecting the adoption and maintenance of the sitting. salud uis 2012; 44 (2):45-55