Mobile Phone Use Research Articles

Changes in Intraocular Pressure While Using Electronic Devices in Sitting and Supine Positions

Objective: This study aimed to compare intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements in sitting and supine positions while exposed to electronic devices. Material and Methods: A total of 26 participants (52 eyes) had their IOP measured by Keeler Pulairs tonometer in sitting and supine positions both before and after using a mobile phone. The IOP was initially measured while sitting, followed by 2 minutes in a supine position. The IOP was then measured again after watching the movie for 30 minutes in each position under daylight conditions. Postural IOP changes due to exposure to electronic devices were measured and compared. Results: The IOP exhibited a statistically significant increase (p-value<0.05) in the supine position compared to the sitting position, both before and after exposure to the electronic device. Following a 30-minute period of exposure, the IOP was significantly reduced by 0.7 mmHg in the sitting position (from 12.7 mmHg to 12.0 mmHg, p-value<0.05). However, there were no significant differences observed in the supine position (13.3 mmHg versus 13.3 mmHg, p-value>0.05). Conclusion: Different postural positions have an effect on IOP, as IOP is higher in the supine position than in the seated position. There was a decline in the IOP after 30 minutes of exposure in the sitting position. However, there are no changes in IOP that occur in the supine position. These findings suggest a potential link between mobile phone usage and postural changes in IOP, which could have implications for ocular health in individuals who frequently use mobile devices.

The association between depression and cannabis use with technology multitasking among Finnish university students – a pilot study

Multitasking with technology – the simultaneous use of two or more media devices – has increased in recent years. However, to date, little research has been done on the subject, and it is therefore important to gain more information on its effects. The aim of this preliminary study was to examine associations between technology multitasking, depression symptoms and cannabis use among Finnish university students; background factors which affect technology multitasking were also considered. The study was a cross-sectional study. Participants were Finnish university students (n = 260) and the data were gathered through a survey. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis. The results demonstrated that specific background variables are associated with technology multitasking, whereas there was no significant association between depression symptoms and cannabis use with technology multitasking. It transpired that female gender, age and daily mobile phone use related significantly to technology multitasking. The study identified certain background factors which affect technology multitasking; technology multitasking was more common among girls and younger participants. There were no significant associations between technology multitasking and depression symptoms or cannabis use, but the results should be interpreted with caution due to the small study population. Instead, higher daily internet use was significantly associated with increased depression symptoms. Technology multitasking is a very recent subject for research, so it is important to improve our knowledge and gain new insights. The results can be used to design various health promotion projects, and multiple actors such as municipalities or organizations can use the data to e.g., plan targeted interventions.

Graphite–Phosphate Composites: Structure and Voltammetric Investigations

The utilization of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is increasing sharply with the increasing use of mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and electric vehicles worldwide. Technologies are required for the recycling and recovery of spent LIBs. In the context of the circular economy, it is urgent to search for new methods to recycle waste graphite that comes from the retired electrode of LIBs. The conversion of waste graphite into other products, such as new electrodes, in the field of energy devices is attractive because it reduces resource waste and processing costs, as well as preventing environmental pollution. In this paper, new electrode materials were prepared using waste anode graphite originating from a spent mobile phone battery with an xBT·0.1C12H22O11·(0.9-x)(NH4)2HPO4 composition, where x = 0–50 weight% BT from the anodic active mass of the spent phone battery (labeled as BT), using the melt quenching method. Analysis of the diffractograms shows the graphite crystalline phase with a hexagonal structure in all prepared samples. The particle sizes decrease by adding a higher BT amount in the composites. The average band gap is 1.32 eV (±0.3 eV). A higher disorder degree in the host network is the main factor responsible for lower band gap values. The prepared composites were tested as electrodes in an LIB or a fuel cell, achieving an excellent electrochemical performance. The voltammetric studies indicate that doping with 50% BT is the most suitable for applications as electrodes in LIBs and fuel cells.

Potential association between mobile phone usage duration and postpartum depression risk: Evidence from a Mendelian randomization study.

The widespread adoption of mobile phones in daily life has raised concerns regarding their impact on mental health, including among postpartum women. Considering the rising prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) and the pervasive use of mobile phones in modern society, this study aimed to rigorously investigate the causal relationship between mobile phone use duration and the risk of developing PPD. Data were collected through an online survey assessing mobile phone usage and mental health among postpartum women. The survey's reliability and validity were evaluated using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. In total, 2015 participants completed the survey. To explore causal relationships, genetic data were sourced from open-access databases, and two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) techniques were employed. Statistical analysis, including chi-square tests, revealed a significant association between higher mobile phone use and lower incidence of PPD. MR analysis supported these findings, indicating a protective effect of mobile phone use against PPD (P < .05 based on inverse variance weighting and the weighted median method). This MR-based study provides evidence that increased mobile phone use is associated with a decreased risk of PPD, suggesting that mobile phones could serve as an effective tool for PPD prevention. These findings highlight the importance of evidence-based evaluations of lifestyle factors in mental health research.

Relationship between radiofrequency-electromagnetic radiation from cellular phones and brain tumor: meta-analyses using various proxies for RF-EMR exposure-outcome assessment

IntroductionThe authors conducted meta-analyses regarding the association between cellular and mobile phone use and brain tumor development by applying various radiofrequency-electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) exposure subcategories. With changing patterns of mobile phone use and rapidly developing Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technology (such as Bluetooth), this study will provide insight into the importance of more precise exposure subcategories for RF-EMR.MethodsThe medical librarian searched MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library until 16 December 2020.ResultsIn these meta-analyses, 19 case-control studies and five cohort studies were included. Ipsilateral users reported a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.40 (95% CI 1.21–1.62) compared to non-regular users. Users with years of use over 10 years reported a pooled OR of 1.27 (95% CI 1.08–1.48). When stratified by each type of brain tumor, only meningioma (OR 1.20 (95% CI 1.04–1.39)), glioma (OR 1.45 (95% CI 1.16–1.82)), and malignant brain tumors (OR 1.93 (95% CI 1.55–2.39)) showed an increased OR with statistical significance for ipsilateral users. For users with years of use over 10 years, only glioma (OR 1.32 (95% CI 1.01–1.71)) showed an increased OR with statistical significance. When 11 studies with an OR with cumulative hours of use over 896 h were synthesized, the pooled OR was 1.59 (95% CI 1.25–2.02). When stratified by each type of brain tumor, glioma, meningioma, and acoustic neuroma reported the pooled OR of 1.66 (95% CI 1.13–2.44), 1.29 (95% CI 1.08–1.54), and 1.84 (95% CI 0.78–4.37), respectively. For each individual study that considered cumulative hours of use, the highest OR for glioma, meningioma, and acoustic neuroma was 2.89 (1.41–5.93) (both side use, > 896 h), 2.57 (1.02–6.44) (both side use, > 896 h), and 3.53 (1.59–7.82) (ipsilateral use, > 1640 h), respectively. For five cohort studies, the pooled risk ratios (RRs) for all CNS tumors, glioma, meningioma, and acoustic neuroma, were statistically equivocal, respectively. However, the point estimates for acoustic neuroma showed a rather increased pooled RR for ever-use (1.26) and over 10 years of use (1.61) compared to never-use, respectively.DiscussionIn this meta-analysis, as the exposure subcategory used became more concrete, the pooled ORs demonstrated higher values with statistical significance. Although the meta-analysis of cohort studies yielded statistically inconclusive pooled effect estimates, (i) as the number of studies included grows and (ii) as the applied exposure subcategories become more concrete, the pooled RRs could show a different aspect in future research. Additionally, future studies should thoroughly account for changing patterns in mobile phone use and the growing use of earphones or headphones with WPAN technology.

Effects of 4G Long-Term Evolution Electromagnetic Fields on Thyroid Hormone Dysfunction and Behavioral Changes in Adolescent Male Mice.

Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) can penetrate tissues and potentially influence endocrine and brain development. Despite increased mobile phone use among children and adolescents, the long-term effects of RF-EMF exposure on brain and endocrine development remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of long-term evolution band (LTE) EMF exposure on thyroid hormone levels, crucial for metabolism, growth, and development. Four-week-old male mice (C57BL/6) were exposed to LTE EMF (whole-body average specific absorption rate [SAR] 4 W/kg) or a positive control (lead; Pb, 300 ppm in drinking water) for 4 weeks. Subsequently, the mice underwent behavioral tests including open field, marble burying, and nest building. Blood pituitary and thyroid hormone levels, and thyroid hormone-regulating genes within the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis were analyzed. LTE exposure increased T3 levels, while Pb exposure elevated T3 and T4 and decreased ACTH levels. The LTE EMF group showed no gene expression alterations in the thyroid and pituitary glands, but hypothalamic Dio2 and Dio3 expressions were significantly reduced compared to that in the sham-exposed group. Pb exposure altered the hypothalamic mRNA levels of Oatp1c1 and Trh, pituitary mRNA of Trhr, and Tpo and Tg expression in the thyroid. In conclusion, LTE EMF exposure altered hypothalamic Dio2 and Dio3 expression, potentially impacting the HPT axis function. Further research is needed to explore RF-EMF's impacts on the endocrine system.

Parametric Analysis of Mobile Money Adoption and Women Financial Inclusion in Kogi State - Nigeria

An ever-increasing body of research and empirical evidence has demonstrated the positive impact of mobile money on individuals, households and businesses, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where there were almost 400 million registered accounts at the end of 2018. Mobile money reduces transaction costs for users and helps households to better manage their cash flows; it allows firms to invest and build capital over time, fostering the creation and expansion of business; and it facilitates faster and more efficient government transfers. These benefits have enabled many mobile money users to realise significant quality of life improvements. However, the impact of mobile money on women financial inclusion has not been fully analysed or investigated. To address this evidence gap, this study assesses the impact of mobile money across twenty-on (21) local governments areas of Kogi state - Nigeria. Something which, to our knowledge no previous study has done. This study explores the parametric effect of mobile money on women financial inclusion using cross-sectional data collected from 400 women across twenty-one LGAs of Kogi state in Nigeria. The probit regression results illustrate that mobile money is significant and positively related to women financial inclusion in Kogi state. In addition, economic activity positively plays a significant role in improving women financial inclusion, while gender discrimination and family financial resilience inversely reduces women financial inclusion in the state. Based on these empirical results, this study recommends the following. First, it is important that government at all level devise means to ensure and broaden usage of mobile money by of provision of communication networking, and internet services, especially in rural areas. This will go a long way in aiding and increasing individuals’ usage of mobile phone and money, hence promotion of financial inclusion among women. Secondly, there is need to enhance women economic engagement, most especially in the rural areas. This will boost their financial transactions, savings, and financial stability, thus stimulate their financial inclusion. Thirdly, while it may be unrealistic for gender equality but there is need to enforce gender discriminating law to give women sense of belonging and full participation to thrive their financial inclusion. Lastly, government at local level are also advised to increase and ensure financial stability and support families in building financial resilience. This can increase women financial inclusion.

Relationship between Residential Patterns and Socioeconomic Statuses Based on Multi-Source Spatial Data: A Case Study of Nanjing, China

The relationship between residential patterns and socioeconomic statuses highlights the complex interactions between the economic regime, welfare system, and neighborhood effects, which are crucial in urban inequality studies. With the diversification of the housing demand and supply system, the traditional analysis conducted separately from the ethnic or spatial segregation perspective fails to capture the rising inequalities and changing socio-spatial context. Taking Nanjing as an example, based on a multi-source database including the housing price, residential environmental quality, surrounding support facilities, and mobile phone user portrait data, this paper proposed a modified method for discovering the coupling relationship between residential patterns and socioeconomic statuses. It is found that socioeconomic status contributes to residential spatial aggregation and that the relationship between social and spatial dimensions of residential differentiation is tightly coupled and related. The lower socioeconomic strata were displaced to the periphery and the older urban core, while affluent inhabitants were more likely to settle voluntarily in segregated enclaves to isolate themselves from the general population through more flexible housing options. The heterogeneity of the urban socioeconomic dimension is primarily affected by consumption and occupational status, while housing prices mainly determine the divergence of spatial distribution.

Lifestyle Patterns among Adolescents in Selected Schools of District Rohtak, Haryana: A Cross Sectional Study

Introduction: - Adolescence is a period in which an individual undergoes major physical and psychological changes. There is convincing evidence between lifestyle diseases and unhealthy habits which are acquired during adolescence and persist in adulthood. An early investigation of the lifestyles of adolescents will probably prevent their progression into serious diseases. Methods: - The present cross-sectional study recruited 600 adolescents studying 9th to 12th in the selected schools of Rohtak, Haryana, India. The lifestyle-related behavior and practices were assessed based on a structured proforma with the following domains: - home &amp; environment, education, eating habits, and sexuality. Ethical permission was obtained from the concerned authorities. Results: - The mean age of the study subjects was 15.9 (SD-1.4) and most of them were males (61%). More than half of the study subjects (52.7%) were having BMI of 18 to 25 Kg/m2 and 39.8% of them belonged to lower middle socio-economic status. A major proportion of the students felt happy to go to school (64%) and were regular in attending school (90%). The majority of them reported having some spiritual beliefs (88%). A major proportion of the students reported that they own smartphones (83%) and were using various social networking sites (83%). Around 63% of the subjects reported eating fast food on monthly basis. About 11% of the subjects reported the usage of alcohol in the current 3 months. Around 20% of the subjects reported knowledge regarding HIV/STD. Conclusion: - The study documents the presence of unhealthy dietary practices, higher levels of usage of mobile phones along with alcohol use in the school children in this setting. The current study provides some preliminary data for policymakers so that they can modify the current policies and interventions according to the needs of adolescents.

Flipped Classrooms: Addressing Students Participation and Preparedness

The flipped classroom concept has gained attention in recent years as a modern pedagogical approach that offers an alternative to traditional teaching methods. While the flipped classroom model represents a significant shift in teaching strategies, its effectiveness in promoting active student participation and engagement cannot be guaranteed. The widespread use of mobile phones and computers has had a negative impact on digital learners, leading to a decline in the review of pre-class materials among higher education students. This paper critically examines the potential of the flipped classroom as an active learning strategy and raises questions about its effectiveness in meeting students' diverse needs. Results indicate that the flipped classroom teaching approach enhances student engagement and academic achievement. However, the effectiveness of this method hinges on digital learners adapting their study habits. A significant number of students fail to review course materials outside of class due to their reliance on digital tools, resulting in reduced pre-class preparation and fewer active participants in classroom discussions.

Smartphone Addiction among Adolescents in Southern Italy and Correlation with Other Risky Behaviors.

Addiction to smartphone is defined as the disability to cease using the device despite the physical, psychological, or social consequences. The diagnosis of this disorder is increasing exponentially among teenagers, even more so after Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aims to analyze the risk of mobile phone addiction among teenagers in Italy and its relationship with other risk behaviors, such as drug consumption and emotional well-being, following the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in Catania, Sicily, during 2022. The study sample comprised 342 students from a secondary education center that answered to a validated Italian version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV) accessing through computers and mobile devices. Subjective Wellbeing was measured with the Personal Wellbeing Index-School Children (PWI-SC). Also, they completed the NIAAA Brief Alcohol Use Screener. Our results showed that 30.1% of students who participated in the survey were classified with a smartphone addiction. Besides, most of the participants used the Smartphone for social networks (86.0%). Regarding the other aspects measured, the mean self-perceived well-being score measured with the PWI-SC was 55.5, and 36.2% of participants were categorized as "high risk" for depression. Finally, four out of ten participants were at "moderate or high risk" of an alcohol use disorder. Our results suggest that the use of mobile phones is increasing in adolescents, an age group also exposed to social and health problems.

A Network Structure of Mental Health and Problematic Mobile Phone Use Among Middle School Students.

Numerous studies have shown that the mental health of middle school students is closely related to problematic mobile phone use. The purpose of this study is to investigate the network structure between the dimensions of the Middle School Students Mental Health Scale and the items of the Self-Rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use by using the network analysis, to clarify the core symptoms and bridge symptoms of the network structure, and to provide ideas and methods for intervening in the mental health and problematic mobile phone use of middle school students. A stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 1637 students from four general middle schools in Xiamen in June 2020 for the survey, and the Middle School Students Mental Health Scale (MSSMHS-60) and the Self-Rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use (SQAPMPU) were used. SPSS28.0 was used for descriptive statistical analysis and R (version 4.2.1) for network analysis. 1. The core symptoms of the network of middle school students' mental health and problematic mobile phone use were "spending more time playing with the phone in order to be satisfied", anxiety, and depression; 2. The bridge symptoms of the network of middle school students' mental health and problematic mobile phone use were academic stress, psychological disequilibrium, and "depression without phone". Reducing the time of smartphone use and relieving anxiety and depression can improve the mental health of middle school students and reduce the incidence of problematic mobile phone use; helping middle school students adjust their study pressure and improving their social support level can reduce the severity of problematic mobile phone use.

Restriction of Mobile Phone Usage at Bed Time: Effect on Sleep Quality, Mood and Cognitive Function

Introduction: Mobile phones are integral to modern life, but excessive use, particularly at night, can lead to disrupt well-being. Limiting mobile phone use before bedtime may improve individual well-being. This study aimed to evaluate whether restricting mobile phone use at bedtime enhances sleep quality, mood, and cognitive function. Methodology: Undergraduate students from a selected engineering college were assessed for bedtime mobile phone use. Sixty-eight students were chosen via simple random sampling. A self-reported questionnaire including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale evaluated sleep quality, mood, and cognitive function before implementing restrictions. The "Lock My Phone" app was used to enforce these restrictions. Post-intervention assessments were conducted on the 15th and 30th days. Results: Before the intervention, all students reported poor sleep quality, 80.8% had reduced positive affect, 91.1% experienced high negative affect, and only 23.5% had normal cognitive function. Significant improvements were observed in sleep quality, mood, and cognitive function post-restriction (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Restricting mobile phone use before bedtime significantly improved sleep quality, mood, and cognitive function among undergraduate students.

Frequent absent mindedness and the neural mechanism trapped by mobile phone addiction

IntroductionWith the increased availability and sophistication of digital devices in the last decade, young people have become mainstream mobile phone users. Heavy mobile phone dependence causes affective problems (depression, anxiety) and loss of attention on current activities, leading to more cluttered thoughts. Problematic mobile phone use has been found to increase the occurrence of mind wandering, but the neural mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. MethodThe current study aimed to investigate the neural mechanism between mobile phone use and mind wandering. 459 university students (averaged age, 19.26 years) from datasets (ongoing research project named Gene-Brain-Behavior project, GBB) completed psychological assessments of mobile phone addiction and mind wandering and underwent resting-state functional connectivity (FC) scanning. FC matrix was constructed to further conduct correlation and mediation analyses. ResultsStudents with high mobile phone addiction scores were more likely to have high mind wandering scores. Functional connectivity among the default mode, motor, frontoparietal, basal ganglia, limbic, medial frontal, visual association, and cerebellar networks formed the neural basis of mind wandering. Functional connectivity between the frontoparietal and motor networks, between the default mode network and cerebellar network, and within the cerebellar network mediated the relationship between mobile phone addiction and mind wandering. ConclusionThe findings of this study confirm that mobile phone addiction is a risk factor for increased mind wandering and reveal that FC in several brain networks underlies this relationship. They contribute to research on behavioral addiction, education, and mental health among young adults.

Cultural values and digital gap: Overview of behavioral patterns.

The study uses different statistical techniques to understand the relationship between variables explaining the digital divide and classification based on The Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map for 2023. To achieve this purpose variables focusing on Digital Penetration (the percentage of internet and social media users and mobile cellular connections), Operating Systems share (iOS and Android), Device Traffic (laptop/mobile phone-based web traffic) as well as Mobile Commerce variables (bills and payments using mobile internet) were included in the analysis. To minimize any effects arithmetic means of data was calculated.: The results from one-way ANOVA tests indicate significant differences among groups classified by cultural values for almost all measured variables of digitalization. The mean squares and F-values across variables like cellular mobile connections, internet users, and active social media users are significant indicating a shift towards more secular and self-expressive cultural values. The results of the GLM procedure show that significant portions of the total variance in digitalization variables are associated with membership in groups based on the cultural map. This suggests that cultural classifications can explain substantial differences in digital behavior and preferences across populations. Spearman's correlation coefficients showed strong positive correlations between Traditional/Secular values and several digitalization metrics, such as the use of mobile phones or the internet for payments, and negative correlations with others like share of web traffic by device type (mobile vs. laptop/computer). These correlations suggest that cultural values play a substantial role in influencing digital habits and accessibility.

Unraveling urban dynamics: Scaling laws of human mobility across the cityscape divide

The scaling laws of human mobility are one of the key theories of human geography. They also have important policy implications for urban-rural integration and regional economic growth. Although scaling laws of human mobility have been widely discussed, the allometric growth between urban and rural areas is overlooked. This study aims to fill the gap by investigating scaling laws and power-law distribution across urban and rural areas during urban growth with individual people's trajectory information of 13 million mobile phone users. The analysis identified a turning point at a population of 1.8 million in the Greater Bay Area, where the growth rate of aggregate travel demand stabilizes. The results show that human mobility exhibits segmented allometric growth, with superlinear growth transitioning to sublinear beyond this turning point. The disparities of travel behaviour patterns between urban and rural populations increase as cities grow. These findings would enhance the existing knowledge of the allometric scaling of human mobility.

Barriers to Follow-Up of an Abnormal Clinical Breast Examination in Uttar Pradesh, India: A Qualitative Study.

To understand key barriers to diagnostic follow-up for women with an abnormal clinical breast examination (CBE) at the primary care level in the Uttar Pradesh state in India. We also explored acceptability of mobile phones to address barriers to CBE follow-up for women. We conducted 28 semistructured in-depth interviews with 12 women with an abnormal CBE at the primary health facility who did not have diagnostic follow-up, four community health workers, nine health care providers from health facilities in rural and urban settings, and three state-level decision makers. Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated from Hindi to English. Thematic analysis was conducted using Dedoose qualitative software. Themes were organized by multilevel barriers to follow-up. Key barriers to CBE follow-up included knowledge, fear, and stigma about breast cancer; women's health not being prioritized in the family; discomfort seeing male providers; and difficulty navigating the diagnostic facility. Despite community education and outreach efforts by community health workers (known as Accredited Social Health Activists), lack of awareness of breast cancer and the importance of follow-up for abnormal CBE remains a barrier to early detection. Despite widespread access to mobile phones, perceived acceptability varied among stakeholders regarding mobile phone use for breast health education and communication with clients. Knowledge, cultural, and health system barriers challenge women's ability to follow recommendations for diagnostic follow-up of an abnormal CBE. Multilevel and gender-responsive strategies are needed to address these barriers. Our results suggest that mobile phones could be used to further improve breast health awareness, patient navigation, and tracking, and further research is needed.

A Meta-Analysis of Self-Regulation and Digital Recreation from Birth to Adolescence

There is good reason to implicate self-regulation in our digital recreation duration, choices, and behaviours. However, the direction, degree, and diversity of their association is unclear. To offer more robust and nuanced evidence to this issue of acute public concern, the current study presents a comprehensive meta-analysis of the associations between self-regulation and digital recreation from birth to adolescence – consolidating 183 studies reporting 232 associations from 234,476 children and adolescents. Across these studies, digital recreation clustered into investigations of screen time, features of problematic digital engagement, exposure to violent content, communicating with strangers online, sexting, and media multitasking. Although a pattern of negative bivariate associations was observed between self-regulation and aspects of digital recreation, the strength of association for screen time was weak (r = -.04 for computer use to r = -.15 for social media use). Once control variables were considered, relationships with exposure to violent digital content were rendered similarly trivial, suggesting other variables likely account for these correlations. This reduces our confidence in these associations. In contrast, lower self-regulation was more highly associated with problematic engagement (r = -.28 for problematic gaming to r = -.41 for problematic mobile phone use), communicating with strangers online (r = -.18), and sexting (r = -.20). This pattern of results points to a relationship that is variable by type of digital activity, which in our meta-analyses ranged from null to strong and negative. Where a relationship exists, it may be bi-directional given associations remained for longitudinal studies that positioned either self-regulation or digital recreation as predictor. Few moderators of these associations were significant, including that the negative association of self-regulation with time spent gaming was increasingly strong with increasing participant age. This study instigates a disentangling of the nature of the relationship between self-regulation and digital choices and behaviours across the early stages of life.

Nongenetic and Genetic Factors Associated with White Matter Brain Aging: Exposome-Wide and Genome-Wide Association Study.

Human brain aging is a complex process that affects various aspects of brain function and structure, increasing susceptibility to neurological and psychiatric disorders. A number of nongenetic (e.g., environmental and lifestyle) and genetic risk factors are found to contribute to the varying rates at which the brain ages among individuals. In this paper, we conducted both an exposome-wide association study (XWAS) and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on white matter brain aging in the UK Biobank, revealing the multifactorial nature of brain aging. We applied a machine learning algorithm and leveraged fractional anisotropy tract measurements from diffusion tensor imaging data to predict the white matter brain age gap (BAG) and treated it as the marker of brain aging. For XWAS, we included 107 variables encompassing five major categories of modifiable exposures that potentially impact brain aging and performed both univariate and multivariate analysis to select the final set of nongenetic risk factors. We found current tobacco smoking, dietary habits including oily fish, beef, lamb, cereal, and coffee intake, length of mobile phone use, use of UV protection, and frequency of solarium/sunlamp use were associated with the BAG. In genetic analysis, we identified several SNPs on chromosome 3 mapped to genes IP6K1, GMNC, OSTN, and SLC25A20 significantly associated with the BAG, showing the high heritability and polygenic architecture of human brain aging. The critical nongenetic and genetic risk factors identified in our study provide insights into the causal relationship between white matter brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Influence of socio-contextual factors on the link between traditional and new media use, and young people’s sexual risk behaviour in Sub-Saharan Africa: a secondary data analysis

BackgroundTraditional and new media use links to young people’s sexual risk behaviour. The social contexts of young people’s daily lives that influence media use and sexual risk behaviour are often investigated as independent causal mechanisms. We examined the link between media use and young people’s sexual risk behaviour, considering the intersecting socio-contextual factors in Sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsAge-adjusted bivariate logistic regression models tested the association between traditional media (TV, radio, and newspapers), and new media (mobile phone and online) use and sexual risk behaviour using the Demographic and Health Surveys from six Sub-Saharan African countries among unmarried sexually active youths, aged 15–24 years. Multivariate logistic regression models ascertained the media sources that had an additional influence on young people’s sexual risk behaviour, after accounting for socio-contextual factors, and knowledge about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.ResultsSocio-contextual factors attenuated the association between media use and young people’s sexual risk behaviour in many countries. However, those who did not have access to new and traditional media were more likely to use unreliable contraceptive methods or not use contraception. Adolescents in Nigeria who did not own phones were 89% more likely to use unreliable contraceptive methods or not use any methods [(AOR = 1.89 (1.40–2.56), p < .001)], those in Angola who did not read newspapers had higher odds of not using contraception or used unreliable methods [(aOR = 1.65 (1.26–2.15), p < .001)]. Young people in Angola (aOR = 0.68 (0.56–0.83), p < .001), Cameroon [(aOR = 0.66 (0.51–0.84), p < .001)], Nigeria [(aOR = 0.72 (0.56–0.93), p = .01)], and South Africa [(aOR = 0.69 (0.49–0.98), p = .03)] who did not own phones were less likely to have 2 or more sexual partners compared to those who owned phones. Lack of internet access in Mali was associated with lower odds of having 2 or more sexual partners (aOR = 0.45 (0.29–0.70), p < .001). Traditional media use was significantly associated with transactional sex in many countries.ConclusionsMedia use is linked to sexual risk behaviour among young people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Socioeconomic inequalities, levels of globalization, as well as rural–urban disparities in access to media, underscore the need to deliver tailored and targeted sexual risk reduction interventions to young people using both traditional and new media.