New Zealand adolescents' cellphone and cordless phone user-habits: are they at increased risk of brain tumours already? A cross-sectional study.

Mary Redmayne

doi:10.1186/1476-069x-12-5

Abstract

BackgroundCellphone and cordless phone use is very prevalent among early adolescents, but the extent and types of use is not well documented. This paper explores how, and to what extent, New Zealand adolescents are typically using and exposed to active cellphones and cordless phones, and considers implications of this in relation to brain tumour risk, with reference to current research findings.MethodsThis cross-sectional study recruited 373 Year 7 and 8 school students with a mean age of 12.3 years (range 10.3-13.7 years) from the Wellington region of New Zealand. Participants completed a questionnaire and measured their normal body-to-phone texting distances. Main exposure-metrics included self-reported time spent with an active cellphone close to the body, estimated time and number of calls on both phone types, estimated and actual extent of SMS text-messaging, cellphone functions used and people texted. Statistical analyses used Pearson Chi2 tests and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r). Analyses were undertaken using SPSS version 19.0.ResultsBoth cellphones and cordless phones were used by approximately 90% of students. A third of participants had already used a cordless phone for ≥ 7 years. In 4 years from the survey to mid-2013, the cordless phone use of 6% of participants would equal that of the highest Interphone decile (≥ 1640 hours), at the surveyed rate of use. High cellphone use was related to cellphone location at night, being woken regularly, and being tired at school. More than a third of parents thought cellphones carried a moderate-to-high health risk for their child.ConclusionsWhile cellphones were very popular for entertainment and social interaction via texting, cordless phones were most popular for calls. If their use continued at the reported rate, many would be at increased risk of specific brain tumours by their mid-teens, based on findings of the Interphone and Hardell-group studies.

Highlights

Cellphone and cordless phone use is very prevalent among early adolescents, but the extent and types of use is not well documented
Cellphone user habits Age of first cellphone use peaked at 10 years, but 37% of participants first used one at ages 7 to 9, and 5.5% reported first using one before the age of 7
Rodier suggests that because the central nervous system and its myelinisation developmental processes are vulnerable to interference by agents that adult physiology can cope with, it is reasonable to expect that the later stages of brain development present particular risks [39]

Summary

Introduction

Cellphone and cordless phone use is very prevalent among early adolescents, but the extent and types of use is not well documented. Today’s young adolescents have grown up with cordless phones and cellphones in their homes, and commonly with old cellphones available to use as toys at home and in pre-schools. This equipment is an integral part of their everyday lives. Cordless phones are a type of cellphone but very few, and none in New Zealand, have APC; they function on full power at all times providing the base is plugged in and turned on at the wall

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