The Prevalence of Internet Addiction among the Students in a Western U.P. Medical College

Internet addiction is defined as mismanagement of internet use that causes mental, social and occupational problems. Thus, the assessment of prevalence of this disorder can lead to preventive measures and appropriate treatment to prevent its spread.

In this cross-sectional study, prevalence of internet addiction disorder was assessed in Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Hapur (U.P), India in 2015. Stratified random sample was used to select 192 students. Demographic data were recorded and Internet Addiction test Test (IAT) questionnaire was administrated.

Out off 192 students participating in the study, 128 (66.67%) were males and 64 (33.33%) were female with a mean age of 21.05± 0.1 years. Most of the students (42.4%) were using the internet “less than one hour” and the lowest of students (4%) were using the internet “More than six hours”. Mean test score of IAT was 24.81 ± 1.08 (mild addiction). In terms of internet addiction, 69 (35.94%) cases were normal users, 109 (56.77%) had mild addiction, 12 (6.25%) showed moderate addiction and 2 (1.04%) were cases of severe addiction which are lower compared to previous studies.

The rate of internet addiction among students of Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Hapur (U.P), India is lower than the previous reports. It is still necessary to curb the spread of this problem due to its complications.