Cell phone use and Self-reported wellbeing among teenage students of Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: Though cell phone is an essential instrument for modern communication, increasing use of it can cause detrimental effects on the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults. Objectives: Present study aimed to determine the association between cell phone use and self-reported wellbeing among teenage students of Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January-December 2021, among 382 teenagers who had been using cell phone for >6 months. Teenagers were selected by convenience sampling technique from selected schools of Dhaka city. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done by IBM SPSS software and quality of data was ensured in all steps of the study. Ethical issues were maintained strictly. Results: Out of the 382 teenagers, 55.5% were female. Mean age of the teenagers was 15.82 years. Most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (16.2%), headache (11.3%), and sleeping problems (10.7%). Statistical analysis indicated that fatigue was significantly increased in female teenagers (AOR=1.84, p=0.042) and teenagers from middle and upper social class (p=0.005), headache was significantly associated with female teenagers (AOR= 3.42, p=0.002), and sleeping problem was associated with duration of CP use ≥6 hours/day (AOR=3.36, p=0.003). Palpitation was associated with duration of CP use/day (For 4-5 hours: AOR=4.05, p<0.001; and for ≥6 hours: AOR=3.28, p<0.005) and depression was associated with years of CP usage >1 year (AOR=2.43, p=0.015). Conclusion: The study revealed factors that were associated with potential negative effects of cell phone use on well being of teenagers. Guardians should pay adequate attention to the teenager to mitigate those negative effects of cell phone use. Further comprehensive research is needed in this area. Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2023; 49: 150-156