Prevalence of smartphone addiction and associated factors in Brazilian adults

Abdon APV 1, *, Mesquita R 2, Magalhães LKS 1, Medeiros NKFD 1, Pinto IMM 3, César IG 3, Sousa GF 3, Tavares LCP 3, Saintrain MVL 1, Viana MO 3, Lima POP 2, Gurgel LA 4 and Mont’Alverne DGB 2

1 Postgraduate Program in Collective Health, University of Fortaleza - UNIFOR, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
2 Postgraduate Program in Physiotherapy and Functionality, Federal University of Ceará - UFC, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
3 Undergraduate Course in Physiotherapy, University of Fortaleza - UNIFOR, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
4 Undergraduate Course in Physical Education, State University of Ceará - UECE, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
 
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2020, 07(01), 202-211
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2020.7.1.0254
 
Publication history: 
Received on 10 July 2020; revised on 21 July 2020; accepted on 22 July 2020
 
Abstract: 
We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of smartphone addiction and associated factors in Brazilian adults. A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 274 Brazilian smartphone users aged 18-59 years. Data were collected between April and July 2018 using three instruments: a sociodemographic/lifestyle questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the Mobile Phone Addiction Test. The Pearson correlation test and bi- and multivariate analyses were performed to check for potential associations between smartphone addiction and the study variables. The participants used the smartphone for 10.1 ± 4.73 hours a day. In all, 47.8% (n=131) of the participants were mildly addicted and 44.9% (n=123) were moderately addicted. Addiction was associated with the amount of use (r=0.40; p=0.000), age (r=-0.20; p=0.001) and neck pain (OR=1.912; p=0.008). In the multivariate analysis, strong smartphone addiction was associated with the amount of use (OR=1.766; p=0.000) and neck pain (OR=1.172; p=0.037). The prevalence of smartphone addiction was high in our sample and it was associated with the amount of smartphone use and neck pain.
Keywords: 
Smartphone; Addiction medicine; Neck pain; Risk factors; Adults
 
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