Mobile Addiction Patterns Among Undergraduate Medical Students: A Southern India Perspective

Background: The burgeoning use of mobile0phones among undergraduate0medical students has raised concerns about its adverse effects on their health. This study intends to assess the detrimental effects of excessive mobile phone usage among undergraduate medical students in a tertiary medical college in southern India and to evaluate the negative health consequences associated with excessive mobile phone use. Materials and Methods: Across-sectional0study was conducted from October 2020 to December 2020 among 626 undergraduate0medical students in a tertiary medical college in southern India. Data were collected using a0semi-structured, pretested questionnaire. The risk of smartphone addiction was evaluated using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). Fisher's exact test was used to test the0associations in the data analysis, which was carried out using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software. Results: All0respondents (100%) reported using mobile phones, with 83.2% using them for over 4 hours daily. Only 22% refrained from using their phones during classes, and 51.6% kept their phones near them while sleeping. Asignicant majority (84.3%)0used social networking apps. Common symptoms included eye0strain (67.9%), blurred0vision (31.4%), and numbness/tingling in the palms (30.9%). According to the SAS-SV, 52.7% were at high0risk of smartphone addiction. Screen time exceeding 4 hours daily was signicantly associated with a high risk of addiction (p < 0.0001). High risk of addiction was also signicantly linked with symptoms like eye0strain (p < 0.0001), blurred0vision (p = 0.0115), numbness/tingling in palms (p < 0.001), and heat/tingling in the0auditory area (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The0study reveals a worrying prevalence0of smartphone0addiction risk among medical students, emphasizing the need for awareness and self-assessment of mobile phone usage habits. Further research is essential to develop0standardized0tools for0early detection of mobile phone addiction and to explore effective interventions.