Smartphone use and its association with body image distortion and weight loss behaviours among adolescents in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Concerns about the harmful effects of smartphone use on teenage development have been raised as the use of cell phones among adolescents has risen. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the associations of smartphone usage patterns with Body Image Distortion (BID) and weight loss behaviors among adolescent smartphone users in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2022. We assessed the mean daily length of smartphone use and classified it into quartiles using data from a self-reported survey and data on weekday and weekend use. Self-reported body weight and height were collected via an online survey. Out of the 11384 adolescents, the majority was females (65.7%) and was secondary school students (68.9%). RESULTS: The prolonged smartphone use (301 min/d) was found in 36.4% of adolescents, 181-300 min/d in 27.6% of respondents, 121-180 min/d in 22.4% of respondents, while the modest smartphone use (1-120 min/d) was found only in 13.6% of participants. The duration of smartphone use was significantly associated with BID (P= 0.000); students with middle perceived stress levels (51.4%) and no depressive symptoms (68.9%) used smartphones 121-180 min/d sparingly. However, prolonged smartphone use was significantly associated with the presence of depressive symptoms (42.6%) and high perceived stress levels (21.5%). Weight loss behaviors were significantly associated with smartphone use duration. Modest smartphone use was significantly found in students with normal weight (P= 0.00, 71.9%); however, aerobic physical activity weight loss strategy (P= 0.00, 30.9%) was correlated with prolonged smartphone use. CONCLUSION: Adequate parental advice is required to assist teenagers in developing healthy smartphone usage practices. Digital platform companies may increase their social responsibility for the information generated and delivered on their networks, boosting its beneficial effect.

Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among the general population during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.

The emergence of Coronavrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in significant impacts on individuals and the whole world. It can lead to severe health outcomes that may lead to death. It also affects the psychological status and mental health of the individuals due to fear of infection, isolation, and quarantine. To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic by reviewing the previous studies and original articles published on this subject. Both PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched for scientific articles that reported the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and/or stress among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The included terms used for the search process were "Prevalence, Anxiety, Depression, Stress, COVID-19, Pandemic, Psychological impact." The inclusion criteria were original articles written in the English language and conducted on the general population and reported the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and/or stress during COVID-19. A total of 2204 articles were obtained; only nine articles were eligible for the inclusion criteria. The included studies involved a total number of 19,277 participants and covered eight countries. The age range of participants was less than 18 years to 90 years, and female participants were more dominant compared to male participants in the majority of the studies. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was varied based on the region of studies and affected factors; however, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the prevalence of the three items.