Use of mobile and cordless phones and change in cognitive function: a prospective cohort analysis of Australian primary school children

2017 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2246

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017

Study typecohort

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Use of mobile and cordless phones and change in cognitive function: a prospective cohort analysis of Australian primary school children Bhatt CR, Benke G, Smith CL, Redmayne M, Dimitriadis C, Dalecki A, Macleod S, Sim MR, Croft RJ, Wolfe R, Kaufman J, Abramson MJ Use of mobile and cordless phones and change in cognitive function: a prospective cohort analysis of Australian primary school children. Environ Health. 2017 Jun 19;16(1):62. doi: 10.1186/s12940-017-0250-4. Abstract BACKGROUND: Some previous studies have suggested an association between children's use of mobile phones (MPs)/cordless phones (CPs) and development of cognitive function. We evaluated possible longitudinal associations between the use of MPs and CPs in a cohort of primary school children and effects on their cognitive function. METHODS: Data on children's socio-demographics, use of MPs and CPs, and cognitive function were collected at baseline (2010-2012) and follow-up (2012-2013). Cognitive outcomes were evaluated with the CogHealth(tm) test battery and Stroop Color-Word test. The change in the number of MP/CP voice calls weekly from baseline to follow-up was dichotomized: "an increase in calls" or a "decrease/no change in calls". Multiple linear regression analyses, adjusting for confounders and clustering by school, were performed to evaluate the associations between the change in cognitive outcomes and change in MP and CP exposures. RESULTS: Of 412 children, a larger proportion of them used a CP (76% at baseline and follow-up), compared to a MP (31% at baseline and 43% at follow-up). Of 26 comparisons of changes in cognitive outcomes, four demonstrated significant associations. The increase in MP usage was associated with larger reduction in response time for response inhibition, smaller reduction in the number of total errors for spatial problem solving and larger increase in response time for a Stroop interference task. Except for the smaller reduction in detection task accuracy, the increase in CP usage had no effect on the changes in cognitive outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that a larger proportion of children used CPs compared to MPs. We found limited evidence that change in the use of MPs or CPs in primary school children was associated with change in cognitive function. 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 typecohort

Effect directionmixed

PopulationAustralian primary school children

Sample size412

ExposureRF · Change in number of voice calls weekly from baseline (2010-2012) to follow-up (2012-2013), dichotomized as increase vs decrease/no change

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In 412 children followed from baseline to follow-up, 4 of 26 comparisons of changes in cognitive outcomes showed statistically significant associations with changes in phone call frequency. Increased mobile phone use was associated with larger reduction in response time for response inhibition, smaller reduction in total errors for spatial problem solving, and larger increase in response time for a Stroop interference task; increased cordless phone use had no effect on changes in cognitive outcomes except for detection task accuracy.

Outcomes measured

Cognitive function (CogHealth test battery)
Cognitive function (Stroop Color-Word test)
Response time for response inhibition
Total errors for spatial problem solving
Response time for Stroop interference task
Detection task accuracy

Limitations

Exposure metric based on change in number of weekly voice calls (increase vs decrease/no change), without stated RF dose measures (e.g., SAR)
Only 4 of 26 comparisons were significant (multiple comparisons)
Follow-up period limited to 2012-2013 (exact duration not stated beyond baseline/follow-up windows)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone and cordless phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Change in number of voice calls weekly from baseline (2010-2012) to follow-up (2012-2013), dichotomized as increase vs decrease/no change"
  },
  "population": "Australian primary school children",
  "sample_size": 412,
  "outcomes": [
    "Cognitive function (CogHealth test battery)",
    "Cognitive function (Stroop Color-Word test)",
    "Response time for response inhibition",
    "Total errors for spatial problem solving",
    "Response time for Stroop interference task",
    "Detection task accuracy"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In 412 children followed from baseline to follow-up, 4 of 26 comparisons of changes in cognitive outcomes showed statistically significant associations with changes in phone call frequency. Increased mobile phone use was associated with larger reduction in response time for response inhibition, smaller reduction in total errors for spatial problem solving, and larger increase in response time for a Stroop interference task; increased cordless phone use had no effect on changes in cognitive outcomes except for detection task accuracy.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure metric based on change in number of weekly voice calls (increase vs decrease/no change), without stated RF dose measures (e.g., SAR)",
    "Only 4 of 26 comparisons were significant (multiple comparisons)",
    "Follow-up period limited to 2012-2013 (exact duration not stated beyond baseline/follow-up windows)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "children",
    "primary school",
    "mobile phone",
    "cordless phone",
    "cognitive function",
    "CogHealth",
    "Stroop",
    "prospective cohort",
    "voice calls"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.15,
      "reason": "Study involves school children, but exposure is phone use rather than Wi-Fi; hub relevance is weak."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1186/s12940-017-0250-4
PubMed: Not supplied

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