Relationship Between Leisure Time Physical Activity, Weight, and the Onset and Persistence of Nonspecific Neck Pain: A Systematic Review

center dot OBJECTIVE: To study the relationships between weight, leisure time physical activity (PA), and the onset and persistence of neck pain in adults with nonspecific neck pain (NSNP). center dot DESIGN: Etiology and prognosis systematic review. center dot LITERATURE SEARCH: Five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO) were searched from January 2010 to November 2021. center dot STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA: Case-control or cohort studies assessing the relationship between the onset and the persistence of NSNP, weight, and leisure time PA in healthy adults or adults with NSNP at baseline. center dot DATA SYNTHESIS: Use of the "vote counting based on direction of effects" and qualitative synthesis. center dot RESULTS: Nine articles were included (20 350 participants, range 86-11 391), four on the onset and five on the persistence of NSNP. Methodological quality varied from poor to good according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. For the onset and the persistence of NSNP, there was very low certainty evidence for modest associations suggesting a decreased risk with higher levels of leisure time PA and an increased risk in people with overweight and obesity. center dot CONCLUSION: The risk for onset and persistence of NSNP may be lower in more active people and higher in people with overweight and obesity. Results should be interpreted cautiously and should not be generalized to populations other than workers.