Association between General Health and Mobile Phone Dependency among Medical University Students: A Cross‑sectional Study in Iran

Mobile phone dependency is an emerging public health problem. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between general health and mobile phone dependency in college students.

In this cross-sectional study, 334 students from Arak University of Medical Sciences of Iran were selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected by (1) demographic checklist, (2) 27-item Mobile Phone Problem Usage Scale, and (3) General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28).

Mean scores of mobile phone dependency and GHQ-28 were 119.83 ± 43.53 and 23.73 ± 12.77, respectively. In multiple linear regression, age, family economic status, anxiety and sleep disorder, and social dysfunction were the main significant predictors of mobile phone dependency (R = 0.469, R2 = 0.220, adjusted R2 = 0.203).

Based on the finding of this study, prevention strategies for management of mobile phone use in students can be adopted.