THE IMPACT OF SMARTPHONE USAGE ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS.

Introduction: Mobile phone usage has become indispensable, especially among the youngsters. This has brought about psychological dependency towards mobile phones leading to addiction in them. Excessive use of mobile phones is known to be associated with headache, earache, warmth sensations and also perceived concentration difficulties. Materials and Methods: A total sample of 150 undergraduate medical students from Government medical college were selected, with 93 female participants and 57 male participants. These students came within the age range of 17-21 years. For this study, we developed a structured questionnaire with items included demographic information like age and gender, self-reported mobile phone usage and effect of its use in academic activities. This survey was conducted offline by filling questionnaire. The students of selected batches were approached in the lecture hall, they were informed about the survey, and their consent to participate in the study was obtained. The questionnaire was given to the students and the we explained the procedure to answer the questions. Then the students were asked to submit the filled forms. Results: The 129 respondents were of age between 17 -19 years followed by 21 students from the age group 20-21 years. It was noteworthy to mention that all the 100 respondents (100%) were using smart phones. Conclusion: The present study group of medical students felt that overuse of smart phone is the main reason for their poor academic performance. They also realise the ill effect of overuse of mobile phones on health. The present study helped us to create awareness among the participants regarding the impact of overuse of smart phones and how it is influencing their academic activities. Universities and colleges can also create awareness regarding mobile phone use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]