Prevalence and associated factors of Internet addiction among undergraduate students at Al-Beheira Governorate, Egypt
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Prevalence and associated factors of Internet addiction among undergraduate students at Al-Beheira Governorate, Egypt Basem Salama1 Received: 13 March 2020 / Revised: 24 June 2020 / Accepted: 6 July 2020 Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+) 2020
Abstract Objectives The study aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors associated with Internet addiction (IA) among undergraduate students. Methods In total, 608 undergraduate students aged 18–24 years were randomly included in a population-based crosssectional study conducted during June–August 2018. Results The prevalence rate of IA was (47.5%) with moderate and severe IA (35.5% and 12.0%, respectively). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, sociodemographic variables (age, gender, and residence) Internet use pattern factors (Internet use for entertainment, games, and communication purposes, spending more than 4 h per day using the Internet, Internet access at home, and smartphone use), lifestyle variables (lack of physical activity and sleeping less than 6 h daily) were found to be independently associated with Internet addiction. Conclusions According to the results of this the study around 50% of undergraduate students are at risk for developing addiction to the Internet. Internet addiction was found to be associated with lifestyle and behavior factors. Keywords Internet Addiction Undergraduate Students Behavior Adolescent Prevalence Risk factors
Introduction Easy accessibility, increasing affordability, and numerous Internet activities attract its users and provide a chance to communicate with people all over the world without any restriction leading to exaggerated use of the Internet and maladaptive Internet attitude that interferes with daily life (Moreno et al. 2011). Prevalence of Internet use was 49% in Asia, 17% in Europe, and 11% in Africa (United Nations 2011). About 99.9% of Korean and 93% of US adolescents use Internet in daily life activities, and approximately 70% of European adolescents spend online for 2–4 h per day (Moreno et al. 2011; Holstein et al. 2014; Korean Statistical Information Service 2016).
& Basem Salama [email protected] 1
Community Medicine Department, Damietta Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, New Damietta, Damietta Governorate 34511, Egypt
Increasing prevalence of the Internet has led to concerns about excessive Internet usage and its consequences on health and social functioning. Different terms have been used to describe Internet overuse, including Internet addiction, problematic Internet use, Internet dependency, compulsive computer use, and pathological Internet use, virtual addiction (Kuss et al. 2014). Generally, addiction is defined as not to be able to give up a substance or behavior despite its harmful results. Addiction is not only about substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, or narcotic drugs but can also be behavioral like overeating, playing, television watching, and excessive use of the Internet or shoppin
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