Prevalence of Smart Phone Addiction in Medical Undergraduates - A Cross - Sectional Study.

ABSTRACT

Aim To estimate the prevalence of potential excessive smart phone use in medical undergraduates and the demographic parameters associated with smart phone addiction in male and female students. Materials and methods A cross sectional study using smart phone addiction scale short version (SAS-SV), 150 medical undergraduates aged 18 to 25 years were assessed. Results There is a significant association between males (50%) , management fee /C category students (35.29%) and excessive smart phone use with p < 0.0482 and <0.010 respectively. Smart phone was most commonly used for messenger application ( whatsapp, fb messenger, google hangouts, etc) followed by video streaming websites (youtube). Conclusion Smartphones can be appreciated by the advantages offered however adolescents need to be cautious about its addictive potential that will adversely affects the mental health