Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences Department, King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Technol Health Care. 2024;32(2):1159-1176. doi: 10.3233/THC-230756.
Concerns about the harmful effects of smartphone use on teenage development have been raised as the use of cell phones among adolescents has risen.
This study aimed to examine the associations of smartphone usage patterns with Body Image Distortion (BID) and weight loss behaviors among adolescent smartphone users in Saudi Arabia.
This population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2022. We assessed the mean daily length of smartphone use and classified it into quartiles using data from a self-reported survey and data on weekday and weekend use. Self-reported body weight and height were collected via an online survey. Out of the 11384 adolescents, the majority was females (65.7%) and was secondary school students (68.9%).
The prolonged smartphone use (301 min/d) was found in 36.4% of adolescents, 181-300 min/d in 27.6% of respondents, 121-180 min/d in 22.4% of respondents, while the modest smartphone use (1-120 min/d) was found only in 13.6% of participants. The duration of smartphone use was significantly associated with BID (P= 0.000); students with middle perceived stress levels (51.4%) and no depressive symptoms (68.9%) used smartphones 121-180 min/d sparingly. However, prolonged smartphone use was significantly associated with the presence of depressive symptoms (42.6%) and high perceived stress levels (21.5%). Weight loss behaviors were significantly associated with smartphone use duration. Modest smartphone use was significantly found in students with normal weight (P= 0.00, 71.9%); however, aerobic physical activity weight loss strategy (P= 0.00, 30.9%) was correlated with prolonged smartphone use.
Adequate parental advice is required to assist teenagers in developing healthy smartphone usage practices. Digital platform companies may increase their social responsibility for the information generated and delivered on their networks, boosting its beneficial effect.
随着青少年使用手机的增加，人们对智能手机使用对青少年发展的有害影响产生了担忧。
本研究旨在调查沙特阿拉伯青少年智能手机用户的智能手机使用模式与身体意象扭曲（BID）和减肥行为之间的关联。
这是一项基于人群的横断面研究，于 2022 年 7 月至 10 月进行。我们评估了智能手机平均每天的使用时长，并使用自我报告调查的数据和工作日和周末使用的数据将其分为四分位数。通过在线调查收集自我报告的体重和身高。在 11384 名青少年中，大多数为女性（65.7%），且为中学生（68.9%）。
发现 36.4%的青少年使用智能手机时间过长（301 分钟/天），27.6%的受访者使用智能手机时间为 181-300 分钟/天，22.4%的受访者使用智能手机时间为 121-180 分钟/天，而只有 13.6%的参与者适度使用智能手机（1-120 分钟/天）。智能手机使用时间与 BID 显著相关（P=0.000）；感知压力水平中等（51.4%）和无抑郁症状（68.9%）的学生适度使用 121-180 分钟/天的智能手机。然而，长时间使用智能手机与抑郁症状（42.6%）和感知压力水平高（21.5%）显著相关。减肥行为与智能手机使用时间显著相关。适度使用智能手机与体重正常的学生显著相关（P=0.00，71.9%）；然而，有氧运动减肥策略（P=0.00，30.9%）与长时间使用智能手机相关。
需要父母提供适当的建议，帮助青少年养成健康使用智能手机的习惯。数字平台公司可能会增加其对网络上生成和传递信息的社会责任，从而提高其有益效果。
