Level of Internet Addiction & its correlates among Undergraduate Medical Students During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The beginning of the 21st century world has witnessed an explosive growth of internet usage, particularly in developing countries like India. The Internet has enriched our life but for many, internet use can grow into a problem, particularly health problems. Objectives: To find & correlate the Pattern of Internet use & Internet addiction level among undergraduate medical students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students (sample size=394) during the COVID-19 pandemic (July-August 2022) period by using the Internet Addiction Test scale. Levels of internet addiction and frequency distribution like percentage and proportion were used for analysis. Results: About 49.60% of the students were found addicted to the Internet as per the analysis of the Internet Addiction test (IAT) scale; among them, 71% were addicted mildly, 24% moderately, whereas 5% were found severely addicted to Internet use. The most common reason of internet use among the students was to download/watch videos/movies. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, quarantine & online classes made compulsion to use smartphones Internet has allowed spending more time on the Internet.