Excessive Use Of Mobile Phones Research Articles

Effect of Educational Intervention on Reducing Mobile Phone Addiction: Application of Transtheoretical Model

Background: Mobile phone addiction (MPA) among students leads to significant psychological changes. Therefore, modifying mobile phone usage (MPU) patterns using behavioral change theories and models can be beneficial. The transtheoretical model (TTM) is commonly employed in the field of addictive behaviors. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effect of an intervention based on TTM on MPA in female primary school students. Methods: This experimental study included 72 students (36 participants in each group) randomly selected from girls' primary schools in Bushehr. The data collection tool comprised a questionnaire covering demographic factors, stage of changes, decisional balance (DC), self-efficacy (SE), excessive mobile phone use, and an MPA questionnaire. The training was conducted through motivational interview sessions: Two for participants in the preparation stage and three for those in the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages, utilizing the constructs of the TTM. After 3 months, the collected data were analyzed using SPSS software with a significance level of less than 0.05. Results: The findings indicated similarities between the two groups before the study. Following the intervention, the training led to a significant increase in the mean score of SE and DC distribution count of excessive MPU (P = 0.013) and stage of change (P < 0.001) over time between the two groups. Mobile phone addiction significantly decreased in the intervention group three months after training (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Education based on TTM can effectively reduce MPA in students.

Driving and mobile phone use: Work addiction predicts hazardous but not excessive mobile phone use in a longitudinal study of young adults.

Work addiction (WA), characterized by dimensions such as overcommitment, difficulties in detachment from work, and work-life imbalance, is presumed to be associated with increased smartphone usage, even during risky activities like driving. The study investigated the connection between WA and future problematic and hazardous smartphone use, considering personality factors: anxiety, rumination, and worry. A three-wave longitudinal study (N=1,866) was conducted from March to July 2019, June to September 2020, and June to November 2021, involving a representative sample of 18-34-year-old residents in Hungary's capital. The study employed Hungarian versions of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire, Ruminative Response Scale, Anxiety subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory 18, and Penn-State Worry Questionnaire. Additionally, author-developed questions on mobile phone use while driving were included. At baseline, those at risk for WA showed more frequent mobile phone use while driving at both time points 2 and 3 compared to the non-risk group. Path analyses revealed rumination, anxiety at time 1, and worry at time 2 as significant mediators between baseline WA and mobile phone use while driving at time 3. However, when analyzing all three mediators together, only anxiety at time 1 and worry at time 2 remained significant. This study demonstrates that WA predicts future mobile phone use while driving through mediation by anxiety and worry. Our findings add to the growing evidence highlighting the detrimental aspects of WA, emphasizing the need for improved prevention and treatment strategies.

The Role of Parents in Early Childhood Character Building in Bontoala Village, Pallangga District, Gowa Regency

Parents play a very important role in the process of forming children's character, the formation process carried out by parents is to focus on seeing how the child's condition and understanding their nature then parents are present to carry out their role of providing examples for children and being a good example. Early childhood character building in Bontoala Village, Pallangga District, Gowa Regency is quite good. Because looking at some of the children's characters, there are some that are really paid attention to by their parents, and there are also some others that are less noticed, ranging from habits at home and who their friends hang out with outside the home. And the supporting factors of parents in the formation of children's character are adequate facilities and infrastructure, a good environment, and support from the family. Meanwhile, the inhibiting factors in the formation of children's character are television broadcasts and excessive use of mobile phones, children's pleasure in playing, busy parents, and the environment of friends.

Critical Study of Artificial Intelligence & Its Scope in the Field of Education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a bright prospective to convert education in various ways, including personal learning experiences, automation based administrative tasks, enlightening accessibility, and providing real-time feedbacks to both concerned students & teachers. AI is going to adjust the concerned teaching strategies to increase learning outcomes of the educational institute students. High cost of the concerned tools and ethical concerns of AI is regularly preventing the educational institute to adopt in their systems. Purposeful sampling was chosen during the determination of the participants. Four target groups that include 100 persons in total have been identified regarding AI in education and 25 participants from each group viz. Academicians, Legal Experts, Technical Experts and Teachers. Results have suggested that uncontrolled, excessive and inappropriate use of mobile phone is causing social, behavioral and affective problems. There are fewer places for the teachers and more for the robots after the implementation of AI in the education. Displacement of the Jobs will be more possible in the area of teaching. AI means elimination of jobs for the persons engaged in the educational institute.

Nomophobia Levels of University Students: A Comparative Study

There is growing concern about the influence of nomophobia among the majority of young people, attributed to excessive mobile phone use. This study aims to investigate the nomophobia levels of Azerbaijani and Kyrgyz university students. The Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was employed as the data collection tool. Data were collected from participants during the spring term of the 2021-2022 academic year. A total of 478 students participated: 238 from Azerbaijan and 240 from Kyrgyzstan. Results indicated that Azerbaijani and Kyrgyz students exhibit different nomophobia behaviors. While 36.1% of Azeri students experience a severe level of nomophobia, 23.3% of Kyrgyz students do. Female students in both countries are more affected than their male counterparts. Younger students are also more susceptible to nomophobia. Moreover, smartphone ownership significantly influences students' nomophobia behavior in both Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan.

Psychological impact and development of autistic traits in children during the COVID 19 Pandemic: A study through Guardian

The COVID 19 pandemic has significantly affected people's lives worldwide. Although children may not experience severe physical symptoms of the disease, their psychological well-being can be greatly affected. The primary objective of this study was to examine the psychological impact of COVID-19 on children residing in the Kashmir valley in terms of evolution of autistic traits in them. Cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 300 family members of children aged between 4 to 16-years. Data was collected through an online questionnaire using Google Forms and purposive sampling technique was used to assess autism. The sample for the study consisted of children in the 4 year to 16-year age group. A self-designed validated questionnaire in Google Form was used to collect the information. Chidhood Autism Rating Scale-2 (CARS-2) was used in those with excessive mobile phone usage. The results of the study revealed that only 3% of the children were infected with COVID-19. 7% of the sample reported that a close family member of a child was infected. Furthermore, 76% of the sample reported that they discussed COVID-19 with their children. In terms of behavioral changes, 54% of the sample noticed a change in their child's behaviour during the COVID pandemic. Additionally, 51% reported a change in their children's learning patterns, and 48% reported that their child had become possessive about new things since the pandemic. Furthermore, 35% of the sample reported a change in their child's sleeping cycle, 22.7% reported a loss of appetite, and 56% reported that their child imagined and talked about COVID-19 with others. It was also found that 80.3% of the sample had adhered to COVID-19 precautions. Only 4.3% reported negative thoughts expressed by their children since the pandemic, while 88% reported that their children were ready to discuss in future COVID-19. In the 4 to 6 year age group, out of 12 children with excessive mobile phone use, it was found that two were having symptoms consistent with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Other common symptoms noticed in this age group were found to be clapping, single verbal sounds, inability to express needs, moderate abnormal listening response, echolalia and video dialoguing. Most families reported that their children were possessive about new things and most of them were not sitting at one place for a long time. A large percentage of families reported that they found changes in the sleep pattern and duration of sleep was more than 9 hours. It was also found that screen time during COVID-19 increased among school-going children.

The effectiveness of auricular neuromodulation in childhood and adolescent obesity

detrimental to a child's health. This condition predominantly stems from an interplay of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Key contributors include unhealthy dietary habits, insufficient physical activity, and prolonged engagement in sedentary activities, such as excessive use of mobile phones, computers, and television. Childhood obesity predisposes individuals to a spectrum of health complications, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory disorders. Additionally, it is associated with various psychological and social challenges. The rising prevalence of childhood obesity underscores its seriousness as a growing public health concern, with long-term implications for the health and well-being of affected children. Results: The review identified four surveys that met the predefined outcomes. These studies provided substantial evidence supporting the use of auricular neuromodulation in addressing childhood obesity. Each of the four studies was a randomized clinical trial, focusing on children and adolescents who underwent auricular neuromodulation. This procedure involved the use of vaccaria (plant seeds), metal pellets and mustard seeds. The participants in this study were divided into two subgroups. The first group received intervention with the use of vaccaria and the second group was the control group where there was no intervention. This design facilitated the comparison of the given intervention against alternative treatments. The primary outcome measures included anthropometric parameters and assessments of body image, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Recent studies have demonstrated that auricular neuromodulation using vaccaria seeds, mustard seeds and metal pellets yields positive results in treating childhood obesity. This conclusion is based on anthropometric outcome measures. These findings suggest that such neuromodulation techniques can be a viable option in the physiotherapeutic treatment of obesity in children and adolescents.

Associations of mobile phone addiction with suicide ideation and suicide attempt: findings from six universities in China.

Mobile phones are becoming indispensable for life and have changed various aspects of people's lives. The psychological impacts of excessive mobile phone use have emerged as an impressive problem among college students. However, little is known about the associations of mobile phone addiction with suicide ideation and suicide attempt. A cross-sectional study was conducted with students from six universities in 2022. We collected the socio-demographic characteristics, suicide ideation, suicide attempt, psychosocial factors (depressive symptoms, social support, sleep quality), and health-related characteristics (smoking, drinking, body mass index). Mobile phone addiction was ascertained by the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS). The associations of mobile phone addiction with suicide ideation and suicide attempt were estimated using binary logistic regression and restricted cubic splines regression. A total of 18,723 college students [6,531 males (34.9%) and 12,192 females (65.1%)] were included in the final analysis. Eleven percent of participants had a history of suicide ideation, and 1.8% of participants had engaged in suicide attempt. A total of 5,553 students (29.7%) met the criteria of mobile phone addiction (MPATS score ≥48), and the average score on the MPATS was 39.5 ± 13.0. After adjustment for potential covariates, mobile phone addiction was significantly associated with increased odds of suicide ideation (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.53-1.88) and suicide attempt (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.18-1.86). Gender did not affect the associations of mobile phone addiction with suicide ideation and suicide attempt (P for interaction > 0.05). The restricted cubic splines regression displayed a nonlinear dose-response association between MPATS score and risk of suicide ideation (P for non-linearity < 0.001), while a monotonically increasing risk of suicide attempt was found to be associated with an increasing MPATS score (P for non-linearity = 0.420). Mobile phone addiction is associated with suicide ideation and suicide attempt among college students. The findings indicate that early examination, prevention, and intervention for mobile phone addiction may benefit the prevent and control of suicide.

The relationship between mobile phone addiction and non-suicidal self-injury: Findings from six universities in Shaanxi province, China

BackgroundAlthough the development and application of mobile phones have changed various aspects of people's lives, excessive use of mobile phones has also raised physical and mental health concerns. However, the relationship between mobile phone addiction (MPA) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is unclear. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted (2022) among students from six universities to assess the relationship between MPA and NSSI. A Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS) was used to assess MPA, while NSSI was assessed via The Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory. Binary logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between MPA and NSSI. ResultsA total of 18,723 college students (6531 males [34.9 %] and 12,192 females [65.1 %]) were included in the final analyses. The prevalence of NSSI during the past 12 months was 6.5 %. Furthermore, 5553 participants (29.7 %) met the MPA criteria (MPATS score ≥ 48), and the average MPATS score was 39.5 ± 13.0. MPA was associated with increased odds of NSSI after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, health-related characteristics, and relevant psychosocial variables (OR, 1.29; 95 % CI, 1.13–1.46). Moreover, gender did not affect the association of MPA and MPATS score with NSSI (P for interaction>0.05). The restricted cubic splines regression showed that a monotonically increasing risk of NSSI was associated with increasing MPATS score (P for non-linearity = 0.474). ConclusionsMPA is associated with increased odds of NSSI among college students, indicating that early examination, prevention, and intervention for MPA may prevent and control NSSI.

Impact of Mobile Phone (Smart Phone) on Secondary Level Students at Kotalipara Upazila, Gopalganj, Bangladesh

Impact of mobile phone especially smart phone on secondary level students at Kotalipara Upazila of Gopalganj district was studied at Kotalipara, Gopalganj, from Jnuary 2023 to June 2023. This research was conducted to find out the existing status of using smart phones in educational and non-educational purpose by secondary level students. This study also highlighted the various adverse aspects of health damage due to excessive use of mobile phone. About 80 students were selected from 10 (Ten) secondary educational institutions or school of Kotalipara, Gopaljonj. Approximately 53.75% male and 45.00% female students were going to the school at secondary level. The student of class nine and class eight was constitute almost 73.75 percent of total smart phone user and most of the students (about 67.50%) got mobile phone from his/her father. About 77.50% students used smart phone two hours/ less than two hours. Most of the students were addicted to using YouTube (40.00%) followed by the facebook (35.00%). The students were using the mobile phone for various purpose such as study (38.75%), listening music (15.0%), watching video (13.75%), playing game (17.50%) and others (15.0%) purpose. In case of academic studies most of the students (about 47.50%) used mobile phone for search the complex answer. Most of the secondary level students were suffered from lack of sleep (45.0%), eye problem (20.0%), headache (17.50%) and neck pain (11.25%). So we should ensure the rational use of mobile phone to get update education and ICT based knowledge. On the contrary, the students cannot save them from the bad effect of mobile phone.

Problematična upotreba mobilnih telefona i problemi mentalnog zdravlja adolescenata sa lakom intelektualnom ometenošću

In the last few decades, more people have been using mobile phones, even people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The most common consequence of excessive use of mobile phones is the emergence of mental health (MH) problems. This research aims to determine the predictors and correlation between problematic mobile phone use and MH problems in adolescents with mild ID. The sample comprised 54 adolescents of both genders who have mild ID and who attend the Vocational High School in Belgrade. The Problematic Cellular Phone Use Questionnaire was used to measure the characteristics of the respondents' use of mobile phones and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale was used to measure MH problems. It was found that adolescents with mild ID have a statistically significantly high degree of problematic mobile phone use. Younger adolescents, those who use a mobile phone more time during the day and adolescents who use psychoactive substances have a higher degree of problematic mobile phone use. Girls have more MH problems compared to male adolescents. In addition, adolescents with mild ID who have a higher degree of problematic mobile phone use have more MH problems, and the presence of MH problems in one domain is positively correlated with the presence of others. In conclusion, we highlight the limitations as well as recommendations for future researchers and practitioners working with this population.

Education Using Animated Videos and Leaflets on Preventing The Risk of Nomophobia in High School Adolescents

Background: Nomophobia is an experience due to not being able to use a mobile phone. Nomophobia can be caused by excessive use of mobile phones with a duration of 3 hours/day, and most of the sufferers are junior high school students. Purpose: To describe the effectiveness of education using animated videos and leaflets on preventing the risk of nomophobia among junior high school adolescents in South Jakarta.Methods: Quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest used in control group to determine the effectiveness of adolescent education with the risk of nomophobia at SMPN 218 Jakarta and SMP PGRI 12. The sample size was 45 respondents.Results: There was a significant difference in reducing the risk of nomophobia before and after interventions, in the intervention group with. A significant decrease also occurred between the intervention group and the control group before and after the intervention with a difference mean score (6.33 points). The difference between the two groups was substantially significant to the possibility of reducing the incidence of nomophobia in adolescents with a value of p-0.041.Conclusion: Using different educational methods, such as inviting respondents to do positive thing to reduce the perceived gadget addiction.

The Prevalence of Nomophobia and Its Impact on Academic Performance of Medical Undergraduates at the College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah City, Saudi Arabia.

Nomophobia, or no mobile phone phobia, is a term used to describe psychological conditions when people fear being without a mobile phone. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of nomophobia, its associated factors, and its impact on the academic performance of medical undergraduates at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), Makkah City, Saudi Arabia. A descriptive cross-sectional study included a simple random sample of 595 medical undergraduates. The study administered the Nomophobia Questionnaire, which had been validated in previous articles, using an interview-based model. The collected data were reviewed and entered into the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York) for analysis. A total of 595 medical students were included in this study. Most of them (99%, n = 589) had different degrees of nomophobia, while only a small percentage (1%, n = 6) did not exhibit it. The younger medical students (18-19 years old) showed significantly higher percentages of moderate to severe nomophobia in comparison to older students (P = 0.028), while there was no significant relationship between nomophobia and academic performance, despite the fact that 128 (77.1%) of students with severe nomophobia had grade point averages (GPAs) of 3.5-4.0, compared to 244 (69.1%) of students with moderate nomophobia (P = 0.150). This study concludes that the prevalence rate of nomophobia is generally high among medical undergraduates at UQU in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia. This disorder was detected more among younger medical undergraduates, with no significant effects on their academic performance. It is mandatory to conduct more studies with larger sample sizes of different university students (medical and non-medical) to identify factors that lead to the development of nomophobia. Qualitative research among groups of university students will add more deep information about this disorder. Health education programs should be designed and targeted at university students, focusing on the harmful health effects of excessive use of mobile phones and measures to prevent this disorder.

Problematic mobile phone use and time management disposition in Chinese college students: the chain mediating role of sleep quality and cognitive flexibility

BackgroundWith the widespread adoption of smartphones, there has been a notable increase in problematic mobile phone use (PMPU), particularly prevalent among college students. Research suggests that apart from being associated with various problematic behaviors, this excessive mobile phone use might also have an impact on individual personality traits, such as time management disposition (TMD), which plays a significant role in individual motivation and psychological well-being. While previous literature has identified a negative relationship between PMPU and TMD, few studies have delved into the underlying mediating mechanism. Thus, the main aim of this study was to examine the chain mediating effect of sleep quality and cognitive flexibility on the relationship between PMPU and TMD.MethodsA total of 921 Chinese college students completed the questionnaire. We collected basic information about the participants and assessed their PMPU, TMD, sleep quality, and cognitive flexibility using the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale-10, Adolescence Time Management Disposition Inventory, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale and Cognitive Flexibility Inventory.ResultsThe results indicated a significant correlation among all the variables. Moreover, we noted that both sleep quality and cognitive flexibility fully mediated the association between PMPU and TMD. Additionally, a chain mediating effect involving sleep quality and flexibility in this relationship was also identified.ConclusionWe found that sleep quality and cognitive flexibility had a series of multiple mediating effects in the pathway from PMPU to TMD, and both significantly mediated TMD. These findings indicated that impaired cognitive function and sleep quality may contribute to time management difficulties resulting from PMPU, suggesting that problematic behaviors like PMPU can impact one’s personality traits. Therefore, interventions should be enhanced to mitigate the adverse effects of PMPU.

Prevalence of sleep disturbances and its relationship with mobile phone overuse among an Iranian sample of students: a necessity for attention

Background and objectivesSleep disturbances are recognized as a potential core feature of some major psychiatric conditions, and overuse of mobile phones in recent years can leave potential negative effects on this central feature, which is especially important to assess among students. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sleep disturbances and its relationship with mobile phone overuse among an Iranian sample of university students.MethodsAfter 406 Iranian students from the Birjand University of Medical Sciences completed the demographic data, Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires, data were analyzed using independent t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficient.Results74.4% of individuals had a moderate to severe problem with their subjective sleep quality, and 33.7% had moderate to severe problems with delay in falling asleep. Additionally, 44.1% of individuals experienced mild to moderate problems in sleep duration, and most of them (97.3%) severely suffered from inadequate sleep efficiency. In terms of sleep disorders, 78.8% of individuals reported a mild problem. Furthermore, most individuals (81.3%) have not used sleep-inducing medications to fall asleep, and in terms of daily dysfunction, 75.57% individuals had mild to moderate problems. Additionally, a significant positive correlation of 0.244 was observed between the score of sleep disturbances and mobile phone overuse (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe prevalence of sleep disturbances was quite considerable, and there was a significant positive relationship between excessive mobile phone use and sleep disturbances among the target group.

Excessive Use of Mobile Phones and Social Networks Among Colombian University Students

INTRODUCTION: Social networks facilitate interactions among individuals, organizations, and communities. Their usage, especially among young people, has become increasingly widespread. This surge in usage has been linked to various impacts on individuals' daily lives and well-being, particularly in academic and emotional aspects. OBJECTIVES: This study seeks to examine the extent to which excessive use of social networks (SN) contributes to social isolation among undergraduate students aged 18 to 35, residing in the departments of Cundinamarca, Boyaca, and Meta in Colombia. This phenomenon is primarily due to problematic cell phone use. METHODS: We administered two established instruments: the "Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS-10)" adapted by Foerster et al. (2015), and the "Addiction to Social Networks Questionnaire " developed by Escurra &amp; Salas (2014). Statistical analyses included descriptive techniques, multivariate Henze-Zirkler normality test, univariate Shapiro-Wilk test, as well as non-parametric methods such as Spearman's correlation and the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: Key findings of this study include: (i) the identified intervention and mitigation strategies in the literature predominantly focus on prevention programs and family support with an emphasis on bolstering young people's self-esteem; (ii) 15.46% of the sample exhibited problematic cell phone use, with 25.96% indicating high intensity of social network use; (iii) significant differences were observed in relation to age and geographic location, while gender and socio-economic stratum did not exhibit a statistically significant impact; (iv) the statistical analysis demonstrated a positive and significant relationship with the dimensions of the Escurra &amp; Salas (2014) instrument, namely Interest in Social Media (ISM), concern about lack of control (LC), and Excessive use of SN (EU). CONCLUSION: The Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS-10) emerges as a concise and effective tool for identifying problematic cell phone use, and its association with excessive social network usage underscores the interconnectedness of these behaviours. This research sheds light on the prevalence of these issues among Colombian university students and provides valuable insights for targeted intervention and support strategies, emphasizing the importance of bolstering self-esteem in youth.

4G mobile phone radiation alters some immunogenic and vascular gene expressions, and gross and microscopic and biochemical parameters in the chick embryo model.

The risks to human health have grown over the past 10 years due to the excessive use of mobile phones. The study was designed to determine the harmful effects of 4G mobile phone radiation on the expression of immunogenic and vascular genes and gross, microscopic and biochemical alterations in the development of chicken embryos. Sixty individuals in the exposure group were subjected to mobile phones with a specific absorption rate of 1.4W/kg and a frequency of 2100MHz positioned at a distance of 12cm in the incubator for 60min/night for 14 days. The histopathological examination involved hematoxylin and eosin staining, whereas cresyl violet staining was used to evaluate the condition and number of neurons in the brain. The biochemical parameters of amniotic fluid were analysed using the photometry method, and the expression of VEGF-A and immunity genes (AvBD9, IL6) was measured using the real-time PCR (qPCR) technique. Compared to the control, the exposure group's body weight and length significantly decreased (p<0.05). Subcutaneous bleeding was seen in the exposure group. Urea, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were all significantly higher than in the control group (p<0.05). The exposed group showed pathological lesions in the liver and degenerated neurons with lightly stained nuclei in the cerebral cortex. Hyperchromatic neurons were significantly higher in the exposure group (58.8±2.28) compared to the control (6.6±0.44) (p<0.05). 4G exposure reduced lymphocyte count in the caecal tonsil (86.8±5.38) compared to the control (147.2±9.06) (p<0.05). Vascular gene mRNA expression was higher, but immune gene expression was lower in the exposed group. Exposure to mobile phone radiation may result in gross, microscopic and biochemical changes, as well as alterations in gene expression that could hinder embryonic development.

Comparison of Musculoskeletal Symptoms of Neck and Shoulder among Different Types of Hand Held Device Users

Background: Prolonged and forceful utilization of hand-held devices has contributed to a global increase in upper extremity and cervical musculoskeletal disorders. These pathologies are directly associated with excessive use of mobile phones and similar devices. Aim: To evaluate the impact of diverse hand-held devices on musculoskeletal (MSK) symptoms in the neck and shoulder and investigate the relation between usage duration and MSK symptoms in the neck and shoulder region. Methods: This study utilized an observational design with a self-structured questionnaire approved by the Department of Physical Therapy at Sargodha Medical College. The sample consisted of 300 young adults aged 21 to 28 years, selected through convenient sampling across different academic years. Data collection involved the distribution of a comprehensive questionnaire, ensuring meticulous responses and privacy. Inclusive criteria included 2nd to final year students, while exclusions maintained homogenity. Results: Among the 300 participants, 76% experienced musculoskeletal discomfort in the neck and shoulder regions, while 24% were asymptomatic. Specifically, 57% reported pain, 16% had numbness, 5% experienced cramping, and 22% felt stiffness. Moreover, 55% of the total population reported some level of pain on Visual Analog Scale, while 45% were pain-free. The study highlights the need for ergonomic design considerations in hand-held devices to minimize the risk of musculoskeletal symptoms in neck and shoulder regions. The findings can guide development of user education programs and workplace interventions to promote proper posture and exercises for individuals using hand-held devices, thereby reducing musculoskeletal discomfort. Conclusion: Excessive utilization of handheld devices is intricately associated with cervico-brachial discomfort, revealing correlations between device typology, duration of usage, postural alignments, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Keywords: Hand-held devices, musculoskeletal symptoms, neck and shoulder discomfort

Comparison of Musculoskeletal Symptoms of Neck and Shoulder among Different Types of Hand Held Device Users

Introduction: Prolonged and forceful utilization of hand-held devices has contributed to a global increase in upper extremity and cervical musculoskeletal disorders. These pathologies are directly associated with the excessive use of mobile phones, tablets, and similar devices. Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the impact of diverse hand-held devices on musculoskeletal (MSK) symptoms in the neck and shoulder and investigate the relation between usage duration and MSK symptoms in the neck and shoulder region. Materials and Methods: This study utilized an observational design with a self-structured questionnaire approved by the Department of Physical Therapy at Sargodha Medical College. The sample consisted of 300 young adults aged 21 to 28 years, selected through convenient sampling across different academic years. Data collection involved the distribution of a comprehensive questionnaire, ensuring meticulous responses and privacy. Inclusive criteria included 2nd to final year students, while exclusions maintained homogeneity. Rigorous standards were followed, enhancing reliability and validity, and facilitating a comprehensive exploration of musculoskeletal health in the medical college student population. Results: Among the 300 participants, 76% experienced musculoskeletal discomfort in the neck and shoulder regions, while 24% were asymptomatic. Specifically, 57% reported pain, 16% had numbness, 5% experienced cramping, and 22% felt stiffness. Moreover, 55% of the total population reported some level of pain on the Visual Analog Scale, while 45% were pain-free. Conclusion: Excessive utilization of handheld devices is intricately associated with cervico-brachial discomfort, revealing correlations between device typology, duration of usage, postural alignments, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Keywords: hand-held devices, musculoskeletal symptoms, neck and shoulder discomfort

Mobile phones and children: exposure and pattern of usage of mobile phones among children - a descriptive cross-sectional study

Background: Mobile phone as an invention of the modern world has managed to penetrate not only the most distant parts of the world but also various age groups in a person’s life. There is a need to evaluate the children’ interactions with these modern devices as they might have a significant effect on their behavior, sleep patterns, and psychological addiction. Objectives of the research were: to study the socio demographic characteristics of children using mobile phones, to determine the average time duration of exposure to mobile phones, and to determine the age of initial exposure to mobile phones. Methods: It was a descriptive cross sectional observational study. The study was conducted at Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital. All the children between the age group of 0-12 years visiting the pediatric outpatient department fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Results: Of the 248 children enrolled in the study mobile phone exposure was found in 143 (57.66%) boys and 105 (42.34%) girls. 67.74% of the parents agreed that the mobile phones were being used by their children just for fun without any intended or specific use. 26% of the times it was used to engage the children when the parents were busy. 30.24% of the kids had a screen time of less than 30 minutes on a daily basis. 23.39% of the children were used to the screen for more than 2 hours in a day, on a cumulative basis. It was noted that more than 50% of children were exposed to mobile phones within 1 year of age. The earliest age of exposure to mobile phone was 2 months of age. Conclusions: Regardless of the socioeconomic status the accessibility and the owning of the mobile phones is same across the socioeconomic strata. The need of the hour is to raise awareness among the parents regarding the excessive use of mobile phones among children and their possible adverse impacts on physical and psychosocial health.