Almost half of university students in Jordan report ongoing body pain, and this pain is strongly linked to poor sleep and anxiety, but not directly to how much calcium they consume, meaning the pain may be more related to stress and sleep than to calcium deficiency.
Evidence from Studies
No evidence studies found yet.
What Would Prove This
Per GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this claim, ordered from strongest to weakest.
Whether psychological factors like insomnia and anxiety are more strongly associated with musculoskeletal pain than nutritional factors like calcium intake in young adults.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing the strength of association between musculoskeletal pain and psychological factors (ISI, HADS) versus nutritional biomarkers (serum calcium, vitamin D) in young adults aged 18–25, using standardized effect sizes and adjusting for physical activity and BMI.
Whether reducing anxiety or improving sleep quality reduces musculoskeletal pain in young adults more effectively than increasing calcium intake.
A four-arm RCT of 300 university students with chronic MSP (NRS ≥4) and insomnia (ISI ≥15), randomized to: 1) CBT for insomnia, 2) CBT for anxiety, 3) calcium supplementation (1000 mg/day), or 4) placebo, for 12 weeks, with primary outcome being change in MSP intensity (NRS).
Whether anxiety and insomnia prospectively predict the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain in young adults, independent of calcium intake.
A prospective cohort study following 1200 university students aged 18–22 for 2 years, measuring ISI, HADS-anxiety, and dairy calcium intake quarterly, and assessing new-onset MSP (NRS ≥4 for ≥3 months) at 12 and 24 months, using multivariable Cox regression.
Whether young adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain have higher levels of prior anxiety and insomnia compared to matched controls without pain.
A case-control study comparing history of insomnia (ISI ≥15 for ≥3 months) and anxiety (HADS ≥11 for ≥3 months) in 200 university students with chronic MSP (NRS ≥4 for ≥6 months) and 200 matched controls without MSP, using structured interviews and validated scales.
Whether musculoskeletal pain co-occurs with insomnia and anxiety in a population at a single point in time.
A cross-sectional survey of 1000 university students measuring ISI, HADS-anxiety, dairy calcium intake, and MSP (NRS and body sites), as performed in the current study.