Association between excessive smartphone use and perceived health consequences among rural university students in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Mobile phone usage has increased dramatically in recent years. University students, in particular, are among the most prolific smartphone users. This research aimed to determine the association between excessive smartphone use and perceived health consequences of such use among rural university students majoring in various fields. The cross-sectional design was used to conduct the study among first-year undergraduate students recruited using the convenient sampling procedure. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: participants’ demographics, excessive smartphone use, and perceptions of health consequences. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multiple linear regression analysis. A total of 590 responses completed the questionnaire. The results showed that 79.2% of the participants were female and the mean age was 18.8 ± 0.6 years. The original sample comprised students belonging to Humanities and Social Sciences; HSS (59.3%), Science and Technology; ST (25.3%), and Health Sciences; HS (15.4%) fields. The level of excessive smartphone use of these students was moderate (49.3%), high (49.0%), and low (1.7%). Over half of them demonstrated the perceived health consequences at a moderate level (76.1%) and a high level (22.0%); only a minority indicated a low level (1.9%). Linear regression analysis showed that excessive smartphone use was positively and significantly associated with the perceptions of health consequences among rural university students (p-value < 0.001). Other variables such as body mass index, father’s occupation, and fields of study were related to the perceived health consequences among rural university students (p-value < 0.05). According to the outcomes of this research, it is recommended that intervention be made to encourage and support appropriate smartphone usage behaviors.