Smartphone Use Time and Factors Associated with the Health of University Students After Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

  • Francisco Valter Miranda Silva Universidade de Fortaleza
  • Shamyr Sulyvan de Castro Universidade Federal do Ceará - Fortaleza - CE - Brasil
  • Paula Pessoa de Brito Nunes Universidade de Fortaleza
  • Daniela Gardano Bucharles Mont’Alverne Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Ana Paula Vasconcellos Abdon Universidade de Fortaleza

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14571/brajets.v17.n3.939-953

Keywords:

Students, Smartphone, COVID-19, Health conditions

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate smartphone use and factors associated with the health of university students after social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was carried out between September and December 2022. The participants were 358 adult university students (> 18 years old) from technology and health courses at two universities in Fortaleza, Ceará. The Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI-BR) questionnaires were applied; Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20); Nordic Musculoskeletal Symptoms Questionnaire; International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-BR). Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistic. University students used smartphones on average 6.6 ± 3.1 hours/day. A high prevalence of smartphone dependence (n=250; 69.8%), neck pain (n=247; 69.0%), suspected common mental disorder (n=193; 53.9%) and poor sleep quality (n=249; 69.6%). University students who attended classes (p=0.002), with smartphone dependence (p=0.014) and pain in the hip (p=0.017) and knee (p=0.006) used the smartphone more. A high time of smartphone use by university students was evidenced, associated with dependence on this device and musculoskeletal pain. Therefore, alert to the need to monitor the time of use and adopt measures to prevent possible deleterious effects on physical and mental health.

Author Biographies

Francisco Valter Miranda Silva, Universidade de Fortaleza

Mestre em Saúde Coletiva pela Universidade de Fortaleza Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva Docente do Centro Universitário Anhanguera de Fortaleza - CE - Brasil

Shamyr Sulyvan de Castro, Universidade Federal do Ceará - Fortaleza - CE - Brasil

Doutor em Saúde Pública pela Universidade de São Paulo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública

Paula Pessoa de Brito Nunes, Universidade de Fortaleza

Doutora em Saúde Coletiva pela Universidade de Fortaleza Docente do Centro Universitário UniAteneu - Fortaleza - CE - Brasil

Daniela Gardano Bucharles Mont’Alverne, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Doutora em Pneumologia pela Universidade de São Paulo Programa de Pós-graduação em Fisioterapia e Funcionalidade  

Ana Paula Vasconcellos Abdon, Universidade de Fortaleza

Doutora em Biotecnologia pela Universidade Estadual do Ceará Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva

References

Al Tawil, L., Aldokhayel, S., Zeitouni, L., Qadoumi, T., Hussein, S., & Ahamed, S. S. (2020). Prevalence of self-reported computer vision syndrome symptoms and its associated factors among university students. European Journal of Ophthalmology, 30(1), 189–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/1120672118815110

Alabdulkader, B. (2021). Effect of digital device use during COVID-19 on digital eye strain. Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 104(6), 698–704. https://doi.org/10.1080/08164622.2021.1878843

Alsalameh, A., Harisi, M., Alduayji, M., Almutham, A., & Mahmood, F. (2019). Evaluating the relationship between smartphone addiction/overuse and musculoskeletal pain among medical students at Qassim University. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 8(9), 2953. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_665_19

Barros, G. R., Santos, S. F. da S. dos, Andaki, A. C. R., & Sousa, T. F. de. (2021). Sobrepeso e obesidade em universitários: prevalências e fatores associados. Revista Brasileira de Atividade Física & Saúde, 26, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.12820/rbafs.26e0225

Bastos, M. de C., Canavarro, D. de A., Campos, L. M., Schulz, R. da S., Santos, J. B. dos, & Santos, C. F. dos. (2020). Ensino remoto emergencial na graduação em enfermagem: relato de experiência na covid-19. Reme Revista Mineira de Enfermagem, 24, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.5935/1415.2762.20200072

Bertolazi, A. N., Fagondes, S. C., Hoff, L. S., Dartora, E. G., da Silva Miozzo, I. C., de Barba, M. E. F., & Menna Barreto, S. S. (2011). Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Sleep Medicine, 12(1), 70–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2010.04.020

BRASIL, M. da E. (2020). Medida Provisória No 934, de 1o de abril de 2020. https://www.in.gov.br/en/web/dou/-/medida-provisoria-n-934-de-1-de-abril-de-2020-250710591

Brasil, M. da S. (2023). Painel Coronavírus. https://covid.saude.gov.br

Callou Filho, C. R. (2021). Impacto do smartphone na disfunção musculoesquelética do pescoço em adultos [Universidade de Fortaleza]. https://uol.unifor.br/oul/conteudosite/?cdConteudo=11428001

CETIC, & BR, N. de I. e C. do P. (2022). Painel TIC Covid-19. Painel TIC COVID-19, 1, 1–28. https://cetic.br/media/docs/publicacoes/2/20200817133735/painel_tic_covid19_1edicao_livro eletrônico.pdf

Couto, E. S., Couto, E. S., & Cruz, I. de M. P. (2020). #Fiqueemcasa: Educação Na Pandemia Da Covid-19. Interfaces Científicas - Educação, 8(3), 200–217. https://doi.org/10.17564/2316-3828.2020v8n3p200-217

De Barros, E. N. C., & Alexandre, N. M. C. (2003). Cross-cultural adaptation of the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire. International Nursing Review, 50(2), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1466-7657.2003.00188.x

De Jesus Mari, J., & Williams, P. (1986). A validity study of a psychiatric screening questionnaire (SRQ-20) in primary care in the city of Sao Paulo. British Journal of Psychiatry, 148(JAN.), 23–26. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.148.1.23

Dey, M., Studer, J., Schaub, M. P., Gmel, G., Ebert, D. D., Lee, J. Y. C., & Haug, S. (2019). Problematic smartphone use in young Swiss men: Its association with problematic substance use and risk factors derived from the pathway model. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(2), 326–334. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.17

Elhai, J. D., Yang, H., McKay, D., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2020). COVID-19 anxiety symptoms associated with problematic smartphone use severity in Chinese adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 274(May), 576–582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.080

Franco, D. C., Farias, G. S., Pelegrini, A., Virtuoso Junior, J. S., & Sousa, T. F. de. (2021). Validade das medidas do tempo sentado do questionário IPAQ-versão curta em universitários brasileiros. Revista Brasileira de Atividade Física & Saúde, 26, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.12820/rbafs.26e0223

Ftouni, R., AlJardali, B., Hamdanieh, M., Ftouni, L., & Salem, N. (2022). Challenges of Telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 22(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-022-01952-0

Hammoudi, S. F., Mreydem, H. W., Ali, B. T. A., Saleh, N. O., Chung, S., Hallit, S., & Salameh, P. (2021). Smartphone screen time among university students in lebanon and its association with insomnia, bedtime procrastination, and body mass index during the covid-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Psychiatry Investigation, 18(9), 871–878. https://doi.org/10.30773/PI.2021.0120

Hu, Z., Lin, X., Kaminga, A. C., & Xu, H. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on lifestyle behaviors and their association with subjective well-being among the general population in Mainland China: Cross-sectional study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.2196/21176

IBGE, I. B. de G. e E. (2019). PNS - Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde. https://www.ibge.gov.br/estatisticas/sociais/saude/9160-pesquisa-nacional-de-saude.html

İnal, Ö., & Serel Arslan, S. (2021). Investigating the effect of smartphone addiction on musculoskeletal system problems and cognitive flexibility in university students. Work, 68(1), 107–113. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-203361

Javier, F., Games, G., & Velázquez, M. (2020). Saberes digitales de estudiantes universitarios de pueblos originarios en México Digital Knowledge of Undergraduate Students from Indigenous Regions in Mexico DESIGUALDAD, JUSTICIA Y DERECHO A LA EDUCACIÖN. 189–216. http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=27063236014

Khoury, J. M., De Freitas, A. A. C., Roque, M. A. V., Albuquerque, M. R., Das Neves, M. D. C. L., & Garcia, F. D. (2017). Assessment of the accuracy of a new tool for the screening of smartphone addiction. PLoS ONE, 12(5), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176924

Kim, H., Cho, M.-K., Ko, H., Yoo, J. E., & Song, Y.-M. (2020). Association between Smartphone Usage and Mental Health in South Korean Adolescents: The 2017 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey. Korean Journal of Family Medicine, 41(2), 98–104. https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.18.0108

Majumdar, P., Biswas, A., & Sahu, S. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown: cause of sleep disruption, depression, somatic pain, and increased screen exposure of office workers and students of India. Chronobiology International, 1191–1200. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2020.1786107

Martins, G. de A. (2010). Estatística geral e aplicada: revisada e ampliada (Atlas Editora (ed.)).

Matsudo, S., Araújo, T., Matsudo, V., Andrade, D., Andrade, E., Oliveira, L. C., & Braggion, G. (2001). Questionário Internacional De Atividade Física (Ipaq): Estupo De Validade E Reprodutibilidade No Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Atividade Física & Saúde, 6(2), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.12820/rbafs.v.6n2p5-18

Moraes, R. S. M. de, Silva, D. A. S., Oliveira, W. F. de, & Peres, M. A. (2017). Iniquidades sociais na prevalência de desordens mentais comuns em adultos: Estudo de base populacional no Sul do Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia, 20(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-5497201700010004

Mowatt, L., Gordon, C., Santosh, A. B. R., & Jones, T. (2018). Computer vision syndrome and ergonomic practices among undergraduate university students. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 72(1), e13035. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.13035

Nunes, P. P. de B., Abdon, A. P. V., de Brito, C. B., Silva, F. V. M., Santos, I. C. A., Martins, D. de Q., Meira, P. M. F., & Frota, M. A. (2021). Factors related to smartphone addiction in adolescents from a region in northeastern brazil. Ciencia e Saude Coletiva, 26(7), 2749–2758. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232021267.08872021

Oliveira, S. M. de, Santos, S. O. dos, & Gouveia, S. S. V. (2022). Queixas musculoesqueléticas e nível de estresse relacionados aos hábitos de vida de universitários durante a pandemia. Research, Society and Development, 11(5), e5641152828375. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i5.28375

Pišot, S., Milovanović, I., Šimunič, B., Gentile, A., Bosnar, K., Prot, F., Bianco, A., Lo Coco, G., Bartoluci, S., Katović, D., Bakalár, P., Kovalik Slančová, T., Tlučáková, L., Casals, C., Feka, K., Christogianni, A., & Drid, P. (2020). Maintaining everyday life praxis in the time of COVID-19 pandemic measures (ELP-COVID-19 survey). European Journal of Public Health, 30(6), 1181–1186. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaa157

Roggio, F., Trovato, B., Ravalli, S., Di Rosa, M., Maugeri, G., Bianco, A., Palma, A., & Musumeci, G. (2021). One year of COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Effect of sedentary behavior on physical activity levels and musculoskeletal pain among university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168680

Stiglic, N., & Viner, R. M. (2019). Effects of screentime on the health and well-being of children and adolescents: A systematic review of reviews. BMJ Open, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023191

UNESCO, O. das N. U. (2022). Educação: do fechamento das escolas à recuperação | UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/pt/covid-19/education-response

WE ARE SOCIAL. (2022). Global Digital Report 2022 - We Are Social. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-brazil

WHO. (2020). WHO siterep 73. World Health Organization. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2001316.4.

WHO, W. H. O. (2022). OMS destaca necessidade urgente de transformar saúde mental e atenção. Junho. https://www.paho.org/pt/noticias/17-6-2022-oms-destaca-necessidade-urgente-transformar-saude-mental-e-atencao

World Health Organization (WHO). (2022). Physical activity 5. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity

Zermeño Flores, A. I., Navarrete Vega, M. A., & Sánchez, R. G. (2019). Human development in college students. Exploring the relationship between uses and exploitation of the ICTs and the personal autonomy. Signo y Pensamiento, 38(74). https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.syp38-74.dheu

Downloads

Published

2024-09-24

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 3 (2024)

Section

Article

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Francisco Valter Miranda Silva, Shamyr Sulyvan de Castro, Paula Pessoa de Brito Nunes, Daniela Gardano Bucharles Mont’Alverne, Ana Paula Vasconcellos Abdon

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The BRAJETS follows the policy for Open Access Journals, provides immediate and free access to its content, following the principle that making scientific knowledge freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge and provides more international democratization of knowledge. Therefore, no fees apply, whether for submission, evaluation, publication, viewing or downloading of articles. In this sense, the authors who publish in this journal agree with the following terms: A) The authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right to first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), allowing the sharing of the work with recognition of the authorship of the work and initial publication in this journal. B) Authors are authorized to distribute non-exclusively the version of the work published in this journal (eg, publish in the institutional and non-institutional repository, as well as a book chapter), with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal. C) Authors are encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (eg, online repositories or on their personal page), as well as to increase the impact and citation of the published work.