Adverse effects of excessive mobile phone use.

International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health · 2008 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2801

In a questionnaire survey of 286 medical students, various symptoms were reported (e.g., impaired concentration 34.27%, memory disturbances 40.56%, sleeplessness 38.8%, fatigue 24.48%, headache 16.08%). Among participants, 44.4% related their symptoms to mobi…

Study snapshot

PublicationInternational journal of occupational medicine and environmental health · 2008

Study typecross_sectional

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Research findings indicate that the use of mobile phones may lead to a number of symptoms such as headache, impaired concentration and memory, and also fatigue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was designed to investigate whether the symptoms of ill health reported by young people may be associated with the use of mobile phone (MP) and to analyze its influence on health and development of medical students. The questionnaire was designed specifically for this study and contained items regarding health condition and health complaints as well as the frequency of MP use. The response rate was 86.6% (286 of 330 forms, completed by 73.77% males and 26.22% females). RESULTS: Most of the subjects (83.57%) had some knowledge about the adverse effects of MP use. 76.92% of the students carried one mobile, and 23.08% more than one. 55.94%, of the subjects reported the average daily MP use of less than 30 min, 27.97%, of 30-60 min, 11.53%, of 60-90 min and 4.54% of more than 90 min. 16.08% of the subjects complained of headache and 24.48% of fatigue. Impaired concentration was reported by 34.27% of respondents, memory disturbances by 40.56%, sleeplessness by 38.8%, hearing problems by 23.07%, and facial dermatitis by 16.78%. The sensation of warmth within the auricle and behind/around the ear was reported by 28.32%. Out of 286 subjects who participated in this study, 44.4% related their symptoms to mobile phone use. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study indicate that mobile phones play a large part in the daily life of medical students. Therefore, its impact on psychology and health should be discussed among the students to prevent the harmful effects of mobile phone use.

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 directionmixed

PopulationMedical students (young people)

Sample size286

ExposureSelf-reported average daily use: <30 min (55.94%), 30–60 min (27.97%), 60–90 min (11.53%), >90 min (4.54%)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Headache
Fatigue
Impaired concentration
Memory disturbances
Sleeplessness
Hearing problems
Facial dermatitis
Sensation of warmth within/behind/around the ear
Knowledge/awareness of adverse effects
Attribution of symptoms to mobile phone use

Limitations

Cross-sectional questionnaire design; cannot establish causality
Exposure (mobile phone use) self-reported; potential recall/misclassification bias
Symptoms self-reported; no clinical verification described
No quantitative association analysis between phone use level and symptoms is reported in the abstract
Single population (medical students); limited generalizability

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Self-reported average daily use: <30 min (55.94%), 30–60 min (27.97%), 60–90 min (11.53%), >90 min (4.54%)"
  },
  "population": "Medical students (young people)",
  "sample_size": 286,
  "outcomes": [
    "Headache",
    "Fatigue",
    "Impaired concentration",
    "Memory disturbances",
    "Sleeplessness",
    "Hearing problems",
    "Facial dermatitis",
    "Sensation of warmth within/behind/around the ear",
    "Knowledge/awareness of adverse effects",
    "Attribution of symptoms to mobile phone use"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In a questionnaire survey of 286 medical students, various symptoms were reported (e.g., impaired concentration 34.27%, memory disturbances 40.56%, sleeplessness 38.8%, fatigue 24.48%, headache 16.08%). Among participants, 44.4% related their symptoms to mobile phone use.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Cross-sectional questionnaire design; cannot establish causality",
    "Exposure (mobile phone use) self-reported; potential recall/misclassification bias",
    "Symptoms self-reported; no clinical verification described",
    "No quantitative association analysis between phone use level and symptoms is reported in the abstract",
    "Single population (medical students); limited generalizability"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile phone",
    "medical students",
    "questionnaire",
    "headache",
    "fatigue",
    "sleep",
    "memory",
    "concentration",
    "dermatitis",
    "hearing problems"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.35,
      "reason": "Published in an occupational/environmental health journal and involves a defined student population, though exposure is personal mobile phone use rather than workplace exposure."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.2478/v10001-008-0028-6
PubMed: 19228576

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