ABSTRACT
Socio-ecological determinants of high myopia incidence among school students largely remain unexplored, especially in developing countries. A cross‑sectional study was conducted in rural schools in North India to assess the relationship between these determinants and myopia among adolescent students. A public health nurse used a pre-tested questionnaire (demographics, family ocular status, and screen time) and Snellen’s chart for testing visual acuity, and referred suspected cases for cycloplegic refraction assessment. Among the total of 955 students, the median (range) age was 14 (13–15) years. The prevalence of myopia was 5.03% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.99–5.07). Myopia was found to be associated with computer usage at school (P = 0.058), malnutrition (P = 0.001), and familial myopia (P = 0.079) in the bivariate analysis. Significant predictors of myopia in the regression model were females (odd ratio [OR]: 6.29; 95% CI: 2.69–14.72), higher maternal age (OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1–1.17), and reading distance <20 cm (OR: 1.98; 95% CI: 1.01–3.87).
ABSTRACT
Background: The initial years of a medical student抯 life can be challenging. Coping mechanisms with internet technology can have adverse health effects. This study assessed the depression, internet addiction and nutritional status among junior medical students. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among first and third semester medical students of a new central institute in South India. Depression and internet addiction were assessed by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Young抯 Internet Addiction Test, respectively. Mann Whitney U test, Pearson抯 Chi-squared/Fishers Exact tests and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were applied. Results: A total of 97 medical students were studied. This comprised 60 male and 37 female students. Mean(SD) age was 19.3 (1.87) years. Most (68%) students were from rural backgrounds. Depression was higher among first semester students (p=0.017), whereas internet addiction was higher among third semester students (p=0.002). Prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity were 7.2%, 18.6% and 35%, respectively. Correlates of internet addiction were previous hostel stay (p=0.047), nutritional status (p=0.043) and social media use (p<0.000). SEM explained the relationship of semester, depression and duration of smart phone usage with internet addiction. Conclusion: Depression and internet addiction was higher among first semester and third semester students, respectively. Nutritional problems were prevalent across semesters.