Mobile Cellular Data and Wi-Fi Use Are Not Associated with Adverse Health Effects

2023 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 1296

In this cross-sectional survey of 2,796 SUMS employees, the authors report no link between mobile phone internet usage (mobile data and Wi‑Fi) and the recorded history of the listed health problems.

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023

Study typecross_sectional

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Mobile Cellular Data and Wi-Fi Use Are Not Associated with Adverse Health Effects Rabiei M, Masoumi SJ, Mortazavi SMJ, Nematolahi S, Haghani M. Mobile Cellular Data and Wi-Fi Use Are Not Associated with Adverse Health Effects. J Biomed Phys Eng. 2023 Dec 1;13(6):497-502. doi: 10.31661/jbpe.v0i0.2206-1511. Abstract Background: Smartphone users frequently connect to the Internet via mobile data or Wi-Fi. Over the past two decades, the worldwide percentage of people who connect to the Internet using their mobile phones has increased drastically. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the potential link between mobile cellular data/ and Wi-Fi use and adverse health effects. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2,796 employees (52% female and 48% male) of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Shiraz, Iran. The sociodemographic data (e.g., gender, age, nationality, and education level) were collected for all the participants. They were also requested to provide information about their smartphone use including the characteristics of the connection to the Internet using their smartphones (mobile data and Wi-Fi). In addition, the participants' history of diabetes, hypertension, cardiac ischemia, myocardial infarction, renal failure, fatty liver, hepatitis, chronic lung disease, thyroid disease, kidney stone, gall bladder stone, rheumatoid disease, epilepsy, and chronic headache was recorded through face-to-face interviews. Results: 94% of people participating in this study reported using mobile/Wi-Fi internet. The mean (±SD) Internet usage per day was 117.85±122.70 minutes including 76±98 minutes of mobile data and 42±81 minutes of Wi-Fi use. Conclusion: Our findings showed no link between mobile phone Internet usage and the risk of the above- mentioned health problems. As in 2021, the global average daily time spent on the Internet using mobile phones was 155 minutes, the participants' lower use time could explain the failure to show any detrimental effects. Considering the study limitations, further large-scale studies are warranted. Open access paper: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecross_sectional

Effect directionno_effect

PopulationEmployees of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Shiraz, Iran

Sample size2796

ExposureMean internet usage 117.85±122.70 minutes/day (76±98 mobile data; 42±81 Wi‑Fi)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Diabetes
Hypertension
Cardiac ischemia
Myocardial infarction
Renal failure
Fatty liver
Hepatitis
Chronic lung disease
Thyroid disease
Kidney stone
Gall bladder stone
Rheumatoid disease
Epilepsy
Chronic headache

Limitations

Cross-sectional design
Health history recorded via face-to-face interviews (self-reported history)
Authors note participants had lower daily mobile internet use time than a cited global average and state this could explain failure to detect detrimental effects
Authors call for further large-scale studies

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "mobile phone (mobile cellular data and Wi‑Fi)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Mean internet usage 117.85±122.70 minutes/day (76±98 mobile data; 42±81 Wi‑Fi)"
  },
  "population": "Employees of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Shiraz, Iran",
  "sample_size": 2796,
  "outcomes": [
    "Diabetes",
    "Hypertension",
    "Cardiac ischemia",
    "Myocardial infarction",
    "Renal failure",
    "Fatty liver",
    "Hepatitis",
    "Chronic lung disease",
    "Thyroid disease",
    "Kidney stone",
    "Gall bladder stone",
    "Rheumatoid disease",
    "Epilepsy",
    "Chronic headache"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In this cross-sectional survey of 2,796 SUMS employees, the authors report no link between mobile phone internet usage (mobile data and Wi‑Fi) and the recorded history of the listed health problems.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Cross-sectional design",
    "Health history recorded via face-to-face interviews (self-reported history)",
    "Authors note participants had lower daily mobile internet use time than a cited global average and state this could explain failure to detect detrimental effects",
    "Authors call for further large-scale studies"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "smartphone",
    "mobile data",
    "Wi-Fi",
    "internet use",
    "cross-sectional",
    "employees",
    "Iran",
    "health effects",
    "chronic disease"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.22,
      "reason": "Includes Wi‑Fi exposure, though population is employees rather than students."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.31661/jbpe.v0i0.2206-1511
PubMed: Not supplied

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