Patterns of use of ‘smart phones’ among female medical students and self-reported effects

BackgroundUse of ‘smart phones’ has exploded, and they have become an essential part of life. There has been controversy about the health hazards related to cell phone use.ObjectiveTo study the pattern of use of smart phones, the accompanying behaviour and related health hazards among female medical students at Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was carried out with 120 female students. The participants were enrolled by simple random selection in April through June 2011 at the College of Medicine, Taibah University. A self administered questionnaire was completed by each participant.ResultsOf 120 students who completed the questionnaire, 64 (53.2%) used a smart phone; 81.7% used the phone daily, and 66.7% felt safer having one. The most prevalent risky behaviours were using the phone in a closed space (85.8%), while it was on silent mode (83.3%) and while it was charging (58.3%) and charging it in the bedroom (65%). Only 13.3% of the students who used a smart phone found that it had a deleterious effect in their academic performance. The side-effects of using cell phone reported were: long-term memory impairment (45.8%), prolonged sleep (31.7%), insomnia (30%), chronic headache (22.5%) and concentration problems (22.5%).ConclusionA substantial number of female medical students who currently used a smart phone reported possible health hazards. The pattern of use includes risky behaviour. The main effects of smart phone use were reported to be on memory, sleep and concentration, which might affect academic performance.