Association between Musculoskeletal Problems, Physical Activity, and Perceived Stress among Undergraduate Physical Therapy Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

University students are already vulnerable to musculoskeletal issues, especially when they are taking physical programs like physical therapy, which are physically demanding. There is, however a paucity of evidence on the relationship between musculoskeletal issues, physical activity, and perceived stress in combination with the undergraduate physical therapy students in Pakistan. These associations are crucial in enlightening the student health promotion strategies. To investigate the relationship between perceived stress, musculoskeletal issues, and physical activity in undergraduate physical therapy students. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 197 undergraduate physical therapy students who were sampled using non-probability convenience sampling from affiliated institutes of Khyber Medical University. Information was gathered based on the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form, and the Student Stress Inventory. SPSS 26 was used to analyze the data in a statistical manner. Descriptive statistics were done, and associations were estimated using chi-square testing. The statistical value of 0.05 was deemed significant. The musculoskeletal pain was very high, especially in the neck (61.9%), the lower back (61.9%), and then the shoulders (43.7%). There was no statistically significant relationship between musculoskeletal problems and perceived stress (p > 0.05), as well as between musculoskeletal problems and physical activity levels (p > 0.05). Nonetheless, the level of stress varied depending on the academic year (p = 0.040), and gender was correlated with the amount of physical activity (p = 0.001). The overwhelming majority of students (61%) were in the moderate stress range (SSI score 61 90), and the stress increased in the first academic year. The level of musculoskeletal issues is very high in undergraduate physical therapy students, but it was not strongly related to physical activity or perceived stress in the sample. The high difference between the levels of stress in different academic years gives credence to the necessity of specific interventions to handle stress. The findings are relevant to the student health policy as they provide an understanding of the necessity of systematic ergonomic training, the need to train on stress reduction as early in physical therapy education as possible, and physical activities that can be promoted among genders as part of physical therapy education.