THE PROBLEMATIC USE OF THE MOBILE PHONE

CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE INDIVIDUAL PROFILE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS

Abstract

BACKGROUND // The problematic use of mobile phones is a phenomenon that can be associated with a specific individual profile and it has been seen that there are associated factors, although most of them have been studied in a limited way and in small samples. The aim of this study was to describe the association between the problematic use of the mobile phone and social traits, health, and health-related behaviors among high school students.

METHODS // This is a cross-sectional study performed in a representative sample of students aged 13-18 years in the Lifestyle Risk Factors in Secondary School Students (FRESC) survey conducted in 2016 in Barcelona (n=3,778). Problematic mobile phone use was obtained from the Mobile Related Experiences Questionnaire (CERM). Multivariate logistic regression models were built to assess the relationship between this variable and social, health and behavioural variables.

RESULTS // A total of 52% of girls and 44% of boys reported frequent or occasional problems with their mobile phone usage. The factors associated with the dependent variable were poor relationships with the family, mobile phone usage before sleeping or during dinner, inadequate hours of sleep, sedentariness, substance consumption and poor mental health.

CONCLUSIONS // The problematic use of the mobile is frequent among students and there are several associated social, health and behavioral factors. There are substantial differences by sex and age, with the strongest associations in younger girls.