Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Sport Injury and Corrective Exercises, School of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Sport Injury and Corrective Exercises, School of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
4 Department of Sports Injuries and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.
Abstract
Background: An increase in the movement of one or more joints beyond the normal range of motion is known as hyper-mobility. However, in most cases, joint hyper-mobility is observed as a confined phenomenon referred to as generalized joint hyper-mobility (GJH). The present study aims to compare and evaluate the prevalence of GJH among Iranian students.
Methods: The present cross-sectional and retrospective study enrolled both male and female students aged 8 to 18 years who were willingly enthusiastic to participate in this study. For this, 1225 students (726 girls and 499 boys) were chosen through the convenience and targeted sampling method. The research tool was a self-assessment 5-part questionnaire for identifying GJH (5PQ; Sensitivity: 80-85%; Specificity: 80-90%) (Hakim & Grahame). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and no direct access to students, the questionnaire was designed in Google Forms Survey Administration software and distributed online among sports teachers or students through social networks. The data gathered from completed questionnaires were analyzed in SPSS version 22 using the two-way chi-square test.
Results: The prevalence of GJH among female students (41.2%) was higher than that among male students (30.7%). The two-way chi-square test revealed a significant difference in the rate of GJH between female and male students (p=0.001, ƛ=13.97). According to the results, "gender" accounted for 10% of the prevalence of hyper-mobility in students. The statistical tests revealed that "age" causes no significant difference in the rate of hyper-mobility among students (p=0.54, ƛ=10.79).
Conclusion: The present study revealed a high prevalence of GJH among Iranian students. The prevalence of GJH among female students was higher than that among male students. Thus, these results entail paying more attention to this phenomenon, as it may provoke physical and psychological complications in the future for students affected by GJH.
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