The association of smart mobile phone usage with cognitive function impairment in Saudi adult population

2020 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1507

MOCA scores decreased with higher self-reported daily mobile phone use (26.8 for <1 hour/day, 26.1 for 1–2 hours/day, 24.6 for >2 hours/day; P<0.05). Lower MOCA scores were also reported among participants who kept the phone near their pillow while sleeping (…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020

Study typecross_sectional

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The association of smart mobile phone usage with cognitive function impairment in Saudi adult population Thamir M Al-Khlaiwi, Syed Shahid Habib, Sultan Ayoub Meo, Mohammed S Alqhtani, Abeer A Ogailan. The association of smart mobile phone usage with cognitive function impairment in Saudi adult population. Pak J Med Sci. Nov-Dec 2020;36(7):1628-1633. doi: 10.12669/pjms.36.7.2826. Abstract Background & objectives: Excessive use of mobile phones has raised a great concern about adverse health effects on human health. The present study's aim was to investigate the association of the usage of smartphones with cognitive function impairment in the Saudi adult population. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during September 2019 to January 2020. A total of 251 Saudi adults who were using mobile phones were recruited, and knowledge, attitude and practices were assessed by interview using a predesigned proforma. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) tool was employed to assess the cognitive functions, comparison was made between daily mobile phone usage group and their correlated Montreal Cognitive Score (MOCA). Results: The mean age for 251 Saudi adult participants was 32.43 ± 12.8 years. More than 80% of the participants used their mobile phone for more than two hours daily. About 61% of the participants were not aware of the side effect of the radiation generated from mobile phone. The participants showed a decrease in MOCA score with increased daily mobile phone usage (MOCA=26.8 for <1 hour daily usage, 26.1 for 1-2 hours, and 24.6 for >2 hours with P< 0.05). In addition, participants showed decreased MOCA score by keeping their mobile phone near their pillow while sleeping; MOCA=24.35 for near pillow groups and >25.5 for the groups that placed their mobile phone away from the pillow. Conclusions: Excessive use of mobile phones can cause cognitive function impairment. Strict policies must be implemented to control the use of smartphones in order to minimize the effects on mobile phone radiation on cognition. The media has to be on the forefront in educating the public about the proper usage of mobile phones. Open access paper: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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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 directionharm

PopulationSaudi adults using mobile phones (recruited at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

Sample size251

ExposureRF · Daily smartphone use (<1 hour, 1–2 hours, >2 hours); phone placement near pillow during sleep

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MOCA score)
Knowledge/attitudes/practices regarding mobile phone radiation side effects

Limitations

Cross-sectional design (association only; cannot establish causality)
Exposure based on self-reported phone use and phone placement; no objective RF exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, frequency, measured dose) reported
Potential confounding factors not described in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Daily smartphone use (<1 hour, 1–2 hours, >2 hours); phone placement near pillow during sleep"
  },
  "population": "Saudi adults using mobile phones (recruited at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)",
  "sample_size": 251,
  "outcomes": [
    "Cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MOCA score)",
    "Knowledge/attitudes/practices regarding mobile phone radiation side effects"
  ],
  "main_findings": "MOCA scores decreased with higher self-reported daily mobile phone use (26.8 for <1 hour/day, 26.1 for 1–2 hours/day, 24.6 for >2 hours/day; P<0.05). Lower MOCA scores were also reported among participants who kept the phone near their pillow while sleeping (MOCA=24.35) compared with those placing it away (>25.5).",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Cross-sectional design (association only; cannot establish causality)",
    "Exposure based on self-reported phone use and phone placement; no objective RF exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, frequency, measured dose) reported",
    "Potential confounding factors not described in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "smartphone",
    "mobile phone",
    "RF radiation",
    "cognition",
    "MOCA",
    "Saudi Arabia",
    "sleep proximity",
    "cross-sectional"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones-rf",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study evaluates smartphone/mobile phone use in relation to cognitive function outcomes."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.12669/pjms.36.7.2826
PubMed: Not supplied

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