Smartphone usage patterns and health effects: a case study in university students, Thailand

Abstract

Smartphone usage patterns and health effects: a case study in university students, ThailandABSTRACTSmartphones are mobile communication devices that are increasing in the number of users worldwide. The study aims to analyze usage patterns and the health effects related to smartphone usage among university students in Thailand. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in five regions in Thailand. Five hundred thirty-two university students who use smartphones participated in the study. A prepared questionnaire was used for this study. The average age was 20.34 ± 1.44 years old that participated in this study. The averaged time spent using mobile devices were 6.12±5.64 hours/day. The most popular application used was social networking (98.1%). Mostly, the participants used their smartphone in their bedroom (99.1%). The positive health effects of using smartphones were reported to be as follows: an increased feeling warmness with other people (95.3%), increased relaxation (80.6%), and increased happiness (80.1%). The negative health effects consisted of, but not limited to, eye pain (90.2%), misunderstanding with other people (92.5%), shoulder or neck pain (82.3%), and boredom (78.9%). The university students among the five regions in Thailand had significant differences in smartphone use patterns and health effects. Consequently, the intervention to reduce the health effects should be considered.Keywords: health effects; smartphone; university students