Smartphone addiction in Iranian schoolchildren: a population-based study

Abstract

Smartphone addiction is a public health problem and is increasing globally. It is important to know the latest status of this phenomenon in different region of the world. This study aimed to investigate smartphone addiction in an Iranian student population. The participants were a random sample of Shahroud Schoolchildren Eye Cohort study in 2018. Smartphone addiction was measured by the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-sv) questionnaire. The prevalence and mean estimates were reported with 95% confidence intervals. The analysis of variance, t-test and multiple logistic regression were used for analysis of data. The mean age of 2682 participating students was 13.5 year with an age range of 10 to 15 year, and 1197 (44.6%) of them were girls. The mean SAS-sv score was 27.96 (95% CI: 27.36–28.58) for boys and 26.10 (95% CI: 25.34–26.80) for girls. This score follows a U-shaped pattern with a lower mean score observed at age 8. The Prevalence of smartphone addiction was 29.8% (95% CI: 28.1–31.5) in studied population. Compared to 10 year old students, smartphone addiction was higher in 14 (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1–2.7) and 15 (OR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.5–3.8) years old students. Smartphone addiction was higher in boys (OR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.5–3.0; P value < 0.001). Smartphone addiction was not different in urban and rural students after adjusting for age and gender (P = 0.089). Compared to European countries the prevalence of smartphone addiction in Iranian students is relatively high and need prompt intervention especially in boys and older adolescents.