Growing propensity of internet addiction among Asian college students: meta-analysis of pooled prevalence from 39 studies with over 50,000 participants.

OBJECTIVES: Rapid internet penetration and technological advancements have facilitated accessibility to internet-enabled devices globally. Since Asia lacks comprehensive data on internet addiction among college students, this review aims to estimate its pooled prevalence. STUDY DESIGN: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and MEDLINE from their inception through August 2022 using terms appropriate to internet addiction and Asian countries/territorial for publications in English peer-reviewed journals. The studies included those done on current college students and provided unambiguous indicators of the threshold of internet addiction. The pooled prevalence was calculated through a random-effects meta-analysis by RStudio software, and I2 statistic was used to assess heterogeneity. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist was used for quality assessment. RESULTS: Overall, between 2007 and 2021, 39 papers comprising 45 effect sizes and totaling 58,058 participants met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of internet addiction among Asian college students was 24.3% (95% confidence interval: 19.8%-29.5%, Q = 6234, df = 44, τ2 = 0.79, I2 = 99.29%), and strikingly, this percentage increased over time. A high degree of heterogeneity was seen, and no publication bias was found. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review report on Asian college students, which found that one-fifth suffer from internet addiction. The findings emphasize the significance of multidisciplinary prevention and management strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of internet addiction. Further research is warranted to develop a standardized diagnostic tool for a more precise estimation of internet addiction among this population.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of parents on maternal care in a mountainous district of Vietnam: A qualitative study.

Barriers preventing parents from accessing healthcare services affect the effectiveness of maternal care in mountainous areas of Vietnam. AIM: This study aimed to examine the current knowledge, attitudes, and practice of parents about maternal care in a mountainous region of Cao Bang province. METHOD: With the participation of 18 individuals (mothers, fathers, and pregnant women), six semi-structured interviews and three group discussions were conducted at different commune health centers. RESULT: This study emerged three themes, including knowledge, attitude, and practice of parents. Overall, parental knowledge about maternal care was at a basic level. While they showed positive attitudes towards the importance of maternal healthcare, unexpected behaviors such as homebirth or poor attendance at maternal health visits were still evident. These behavior patterns reflect incorrect cultural beliefs about health along with geographical and economic barriers.