Internet plays a fundamental role in society. It is an easy access for information exchange and academic research. Prolonged use of internet can lead to internet addiction resulting in marked distress and/or functional impairment in psychological, physical and social daily life activities. Objective: Assess the relation between health status and internet addiction among adolescents. Setting: The study was conducted at outpatient clinics at Damanhour Medical National Institute. Subjects: Simple random sample of 200 adolescents of both sexes were included, their ages ranged from 13-18 years. Tools: Three tools were used; Socio-demographic Characteristics of the Adolescents and Their Pattern of Internet Usage, Internet Addiction Test and Assessment of Internet Addiction Consequences on the Health Status among Adolescents. Results: The present study revealed that the majority of the adolescents (87%) used the internet daily and (85%) of them used internet at night. The most commonly reported adverse physical effects were: eye irritation, followed by wrist &arm pain, and numbness and tingling in the hand fingers. Nearly three-quarter of the adolescents (73.5%) were eating junk food and skipping basic meals. Adolescents' sleep duration was affected by internet usage as reported by two thirds of adolescents (67%). Two thirds of the adolescents' families complained about their prolonged duration of using internet. Half of adolescents (50%) had bad mood during attempts to reduce the internet usage. Conclusion: Excessive internet use is associated with adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors. Recommendations: A concentrated awareness program to be planned targeting school specialists and parents, and implementation of different workshops for adolescents about physical, psychological and social risks of excessive internet use.
Shaheen, M., Gaafar, Y., Elshater, M., & Mokbel, R. (2019). The Relation between Health Status and Internet Addiction among Adolescents. Alexandria Scientific Nursing Journal, 21(2), 83-96. doi: 10.21608/asalexu.2019.206599
MLA
Mona Shaheen; Yosur Gaafar; Maha Mohammed Elshater; Rodaina Mokbel. "The Relation between Health Status and Internet Addiction among Adolescents". Alexandria Scientific Nursing Journal, 21, 2, 2019, 83-96. doi: 10.21608/asalexu.2019.206599
HARVARD
Shaheen, M., Gaafar, Y., Elshater, M., Mokbel, R. (2019). 'The Relation between Health Status and Internet Addiction among Adolescents', Alexandria Scientific Nursing Journal, 21(2), pp. 83-96. doi: 10.21608/asalexu.2019.206599
VANCOUVER
Shaheen, M., Gaafar, Y., Elshater, M., Mokbel, R. The Relation between Health Status and Internet Addiction among Adolescents. Alexandria Scientific Nursing Journal, 2019; 21(2): 83-96. doi: 10.21608/asalexu.2019.206599
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