The Impact of exposure to screen during COVID-19 Lockdown on the General health of students in Punjab, Pakistan

Background: Since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic and a worldwide lockdown was imposed, it was predicted that there would be an increase in screen usage, especially among students, which could potentially have a lot of negative symptomology associated with it. Objective: The objective of our study was to determine the extent of screen exposure among medical students during lockdown and to study the symptoms that they faced due to it along with their frequency. Methods: In our descriptive cross-sectional study, we distributed the specifically designed questionnaire through online media to the concerned population, in order to gather important data about the physical and mental symptoms experienced by the medical students as a result of excessive screen exposure. Results: Of the 400 participants, 93.75 % reported an increase in screen time during the lockdown. As a consequence of increased screen usage, 207 (51.75%) of the participants reported headache, 267 (66.75%) reported fatigue, 283 (70.75%) reported eye strain, 121 (30.25%) reported dry eyes, 143 (35.75%) reported blurry vision, 154 (38.5%) reported teary eyes, 154 (38.5%) reported ear ache, 247 (61.75%) reported neck and back stiffness and 148 (37%) participants agreed to having experienced fingers and hand fatigue. We also established that increasing screen time was associated with a progressive decrease in physical activity (p=0.11) and increase in food consumption (p=0.002). A significant association was also recorded with weight gain (p=0.03). We found that the students previously diagnosed with a refractive error were more likely to complain of eye strain (p=0.004) and those diagnosed with migraine experienced more screen related headache (p=0.001). Of the 11 symptoms related to mental health in the questionnaire, students with screen usage of less than 4 hours marked a median of 2 symptoms, those with screen time of 4-8 hours marked a median of 4 symptoms and those with a screen usage >8 hours ticked a median of 5 symptoms. Students who had been diagnosed with anxiety or depression in the past checked an average of 5.24 symptoms while those with no such diagnosis had only 3.51 symptoms on average. Conclusion: The results proved a potential impact on the general health of the medical students. A significant increase in weight was observed along with other serious short and long term effects on their physical and mental wellbeing.

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Impact of COVID-19 on medical students’ mental wellbeing in Jordan

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253295 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0253295

Author(s):

Khaled Seetan ◽

Mohammad Al-Zubi ◽

Yousef Rubbai ◽

Mohammad Athamneh ◽

Almu’atasim Khamees ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Online Survey ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Data Assessment ◽

The Impact

COVID-19 has spread throughout the world and has resulted in significant morbidity, mortality, and negative psychological impact. This prospective cross-sectional study is exploring the effect of the pandemic on mental health of medical students. The study was conducted at six Jordanian medical schools using an online survey to collect students’ socio-demographic and academic data. Assessment of mental wellbeing status was done using Kessler’s psychological stress scale (K10); the impact of COVID-19 on life activities and strategies followed to manage the situation were also examined. A total of 553 medical students were recruited for the study. Men constituted 40.1%, and women were 59.9%. Students reported that COVID-19 has affected the aspects of physical fitness (73.1%), study (68.4%), and social relationships (65.6%) the most. Sixty-six percent of the students were concerned about family members’ affection, and more than half (58.4%) explained their concerns about the inability to get clinical sessions and labs. Cooking, baking, and hobby practicing were the most popular methods to improve their mental wellbeing. About half of the participants had a severe mental disorder, and only 13.2% were likely to be well. The study indicates that half of our medical students suffer severe mental disorders, with physical fitness, exercise, and studying being among the most affected aspects during the COVID 19 pandemic. It is recommended that measures need be taken to alleviate students’ stress, which might have deleterious effects in many aspects.

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Caffeinated Drinks Intake, Late Chronotype, and Increased Body Mass Index among Medical Students in Chongqing, China: A Multiple Mediation Model

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph15081721 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (8) ◽

pp. 1721 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Yangchang Zhang ◽

Yang Xiong ◽

Jia Dong ◽

Tingting Guo ◽

Xiaoman Tang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Mass Index ◽

Medical Students ◽

Body Mass ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Multiple Mediation ◽

Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽

Positive Role ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

Background: This paper investigates the problems regarding caffeinated drinks intake, late chronotype, and increased body mass index (BMI) among medical students at a Chinese university. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 with 616 medical students from Chongqing Medical University in Chongqing, China, whose information were collected by a self-reported questionnaire that included four sections: Demographic characteristics; Caffeinated drinks intake and physical state; Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire; Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21. Multiple mediation analyses were conducted to test the impact of late chronotype on increased BMI through caffeinated drinks consumption through two models. Results: The significantly mediated effect of caffeinated drinks consumption was revealed (estimate: −0.01, SE = 0.01, 95% CI [−0.02, −0.01]), and which played a positive role in linking late chronotype (B = −0.01, SE = 0.01, p < 0.001) and increased BMI (B = 1.37, SE = 0.21, p < 0.01), but their significant association did not be found in reversed model. In addition, physical activity and inactivity times demonstrated significant indirect effects in the two models. Conclusions: Interventions should focus on reducing caffeinated drinks intake and sedentary behavior time, enhancing physical activity among medical students.

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Cross-sectional study on prevalence and consequences of screen time on physical and mental health in children in the era of COVID-19

Asian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3126/ajms.v13i1.40578 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 19-24

Author(s):

Neha Thakur (Rai) ◽

Arvind Kumar Singh ◽

Narendra Rai ◽

Devesh Kumar Shukla

Keyword(s):

Digital Media ◽

Screen Time ◽

Age Of Onset ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Developing Nations ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

Background: With the ongoing growth and expansion of digital media and COVID-19 pandemic, children are inclining more and more toward spending time on digital media as compared to outdoor sports, leading to poor physical and mental growth. Developed nations have already set up a screen time guideline which is yet to be established in developing nations. This study was conducted with the objectives of identifying the needs of screen time guidelines and to study the impact of screen time on mental and physical health in children. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to check the screen time in children aged 2–18 and find the health consequences both physical and psychological in those children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study on children aged 2–18 years was conducted between 2019 and 2020. Parents were asked to fill a pre-structured questionnaire. Impact on health physical and mental were assessed by pediatrician and psychologist. Results: A total of 155 children were enrolled in the study. Mean child hours in children aged 2–5 years, 5–10 years, and 10–18 years were 4 h, 5.83 h, and 6.29 h on week days and 5.64 h, 5.76 h, and 7.69 h on weekends, respectively. More than one-third of children had age of onset of screen time below 2 years of age. About 70% of children had malnutrition. Only 18% of parents were aware of concept of screen free days. Screen time had negative impact on health (P=0.0001) and on behavior of child (P=0.001). Average increase in screen time during COVID-19 was nearly 3 times the pre-COVID era. Conclusion: This study has paved the way for the need of larger study and development of guidelines on impact of screen time on children in developing nations where screen time guidelines is yet to be set more so in era of COVID 19 pandemic.

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Low Back Pain among Medical Students in Belgrade (Serbia): A Cross-Sectional Study

Pain Research and Management ◽

10.1155/2018/8317906 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Isidora Vujcic ◽

Nemanja Stojilovic ◽

Eleonora Dubljanin ◽

Nebojsa Ladjevic ◽

Ivana Ladjevic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Low Back ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Everyday Functioning ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

Aim. To examine the prevalence of low back pain, to identify self-perceived triggers of low back pain, and to investigate the impact of perceived pain on the daily activities and mood among medical students. Methods. This cross-sectional study enrolled 459 fourth year students at the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade during December 2014. The anonymous questionnaire was used for data collection. In data analysis, the chi-square test and t-test were used. Results. The lifetime prevalence of low back pain was 75.8%, 12-month prevalence 59.5%, and point prevalence 17.2%. Chronic low back pain was experienced by 12.4% of the students. Both the lifetime (p=0.001) and the 12-month (p=0.001) low back pain prevalence rates were significantly higher among female medical students. Mental stress during an exam period (p=0.001), sitting at the university (p=0.002), fatigue (p=0.043), improper body posture (p=0.005), and lack of exercise (p=0.001) as self-perceived triggers of low back pain were significantly more often reported by female students, compared to males. Regarding daily functioning, the experience of low back pain mostly affects students sleeping (14.6%) and walking (12.0%). Conclusions. The prevalence of LBP is high among Belgrade medical students and significantly affects their everyday functioning.

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Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal

Journal of Personalized Medicine ◽

10.3390/jpm11100986 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 986

Author(s):

Ricardo Campos ◽

Vânia Pinto ◽

Daniela Alves ◽

Celina Pires Rosa ◽

Henrique Pereira

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Statistical Processing ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Face To Face ◽

Anonymous Questionnaire ◽

The Impact ◽

Academic Year

(1) Background: The purpose of this article is to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of medical students in Portugal in the period after returning to face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the 2020/2021 academic year. (2) Methods: We conducted an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study, between December 2020 and February 2021 with a representative sample of Portuguese medical students (n = 649), applying an anonymous questionnaire which was composed by a sociodemographic characterization, The Brief Symptoms Inventory–18, The Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the Negative Impact Assessment Scale. For statistical processing, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS ©) was used. (3) Results: 65.3% of participants said that self-perceived relevant anxiety symptoms, and around 10% said that they had a physical or a mental illness diagnosis. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found for Fear of COVID-19, Somatization, Anxiety and Overall Mental Health, indicating that women, students from the 1st and last years of training had higher scores. Age, year of training, Fear of COVID-19 and Negative Impact of COVID-19 were significant predictors of overall mental health. (4) Conclusion: In our sample of Portuguese medical students, age, year of training, but mostly fear of COVID-19 and the negative impact of COVID-19 contributed to mental health symptoms.

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Social interaction game to promote empathy among first year medical students: a pilot study

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20182654 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (7) ◽

pp. 3096

Author(s):

Liaquat R. Johnson ◽

Ramiz Raja

Keyword(s):

Social Interaction ◽

Medical Students ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Internal Reliability ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Scale Scores ◽

The Impact ◽

Interaction Game

Background: Empathy is integral to professionalism, but is lacking in medical students. There are few interventions that promote empathy. This pilot study describes the first use of a novel intervention to promote empathy.Methods: A novel social interaction game was developed and administered to first MBBS students. It provided an experiential simulation of persons belonging to lower socioeconomic strata over 4 simulated ‘days’. This cross-sectional study assessed the impact of the intervention on empathy using a 5-point Likert scale to score self-perceptions across several domains. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA).Results: There was a statistically significant decline in scale scores on all days following Day 1 (p<0.05). This was true across all domains. Cronbach’s alpha for internal reliability was 0.91 for Day 1; and 0.97 for Day 1 through Day 4. Open ended comments indicated empathic feelings were generated due to the intervention.Conclusions: A simulation experience like the social interaction game described here, may be used to improve the attitudes and empathy of medical students towards persons from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

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Impact of new MBBS curriculum on the 1st year students and burden on teaching faculty: Are we making the balance?

Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology ◽

10.25259/ijpp_272_2020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 64 ◽

pp. S59-S61

Author(s):

Naveen Kotur ◽

M. R. Anitha ◽

Nanda Sappandi ◽

Niranjan Murthy ◽

Shilpashree Madhava Kunjathur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Medical Council ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical College ◽

Research Activities ◽

Teaching Faculty ◽

Time Utilization ◽

The Impact

Objectives: The Medical Council of India has introduced competency based medical education (CBME) for all the undergraduate medical students across the country. We conducted this study to assess the impact of new curriculum on students’ performance and the differential time utilization of the teaching faculty. Materials and Methods: It is a cross-sectional study conducted at ESIC Medical College and PGIMSR, Bengaluru during January to March 2020. The college has an intake of 100 under-graduate students for an academic year. The sources of data included internal marks of the students and a semi-structured questionnaire for teaching faculty. Results: The mean (range) marks obtained by the students of 2018-19 and 2019-20 batch were found to be (a) theory: 48.75 (7 to 83) and 50.71 (10 to 78) (b) practical’s: 64.88 (38 to 90) and 69.70 (30 to 93). The man hours per week-faculty for different teaching activities during 2018-19 and 2019-20 were as follows: (a) theory teaching: 6 (16%) (b) practical teaching: 12 (32%) (c) research activities: 6 (16%) (d) planning activities: 8 (21%) (e) administrative activities: 6 (16%). Conclusion: The newer MBBS curriculum is found to be promising for the medical students but it is taking a huge toll on the teaching faculty. Measures to promote research and faculty strength in the existing medical colleges should be prioritized by policy makers.

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Khat chewing practice and associated factors among medical students in university of Gondar, Ethiopia, 2019: a cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-19242/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tsegaye Adane Birhan ◽

Walelegn Worku ◽

Jember Azanaw ◽

Lamrot Yohannes

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Northwest Ethiopia ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Multivariable Logistic Regression Model ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Khat Chewing ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: Globally, khat chewing practice becoming an alarming and common among the youth generation especially in higher educational institutions. It may also leads to frequent misbehavior, poor academic performance and memory impairment among students. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of khat chewing and associated factors among medical students in University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019.Method: An institution-based cross-sectional study was employed on 422 medical students. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 20 software. Stratified followed by random sampling was employed to select the samples. Multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify the predictors. P ≤ 0.05 was used to select statistically significant factors.Result: The current prevalence of khat chewing among medical students was 21.5%. The odds of khat chewing was higher among males [AOR=3.353; 95%CI (1.460-7.701)], Muslims [AOR=6.390; 95%CI (1.903-21.460)], fifth and six year students [AOR= 3.391; 95%CI (1.354-8.488)], smokers [AOR=5.081; 95%CI (1.898-13.601)], alcohol users [AOR=4.872; 95%CI (2.094-11.332)], students who had khat chewer close friends [AOR=30.645; 95%CI (12.261-76.589)].Conclusion: Since a significant proportion of students chew khat, continuous awareness creation on the impact of khat chewing and counseling services are recommended.

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Mental health and illness of medical students and newly graduated doctors during the pandemic of SARS-Cov-2/COVID-19

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0251525 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. e0251525

Author(s):

Lis Campos Ferreira ◽

Rívia Siqueira Amorim ◽

Fellipe Matos Melo Campos ◽

Rosana Cipolotti

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Alcohol Intake ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Physical Distance ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health And Illness ◽

The Impact

Introduction: SARS-Cov-2 virus pandemic causes serious emotional consequences. It has occurred widespread medical courses suspension, and graduations were anticipated. Field hospitals, set up to treat patients with mild to moderate COVID-19, were the main workplaces of newly graduated doctors. Objective: To assess the impact of SARS-Cov-2/COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of medical interns and newly graduated doctors. Method: This is a cross-sectional study performed using a digital platform. Links to forms were sent in two moments: moment 1 (M1), at the beginning of the pandemic, in the first half of April/2020 and moment 2 (M2), after six months of pandemic, in the second half of September/2020. All students from the medical internship and all doctors graduated since 2018 from the three medical schools in Sergipe-NE-Brazil were invited. Results: 335 forms were answered in April and 148 in September. In M1 88.9% considered themselves exposed to excess of information about COVID-19, which was associated with anxiety symptoms (p = 0.04). Long family physical distance was also associated with these symptoms, as increased appetite (p = 0.01), feeling shortness of breath (p = 0.003) and sweating (p = 0.007). Fear of acquire COVID-19 was reported as intense by almost half of participants, and of transmitting by 85.7% in M1. In M2 41.2% reported the death of friends or relatives. Psychiatric illness was described by 38.5% and psychotropic drugs use by 30.1% in M1, especially those who lived alone (p = 0.03) and the single ones (p = 0.01). Alcohol intake was reported by 54.3%, and among doctors graduated in 2020 it increased from 50% in M1 to 85% in M2 (p = 0.04). Conclusion: The pandemic had a negative impact on the mental health of medical students and newly graduated doctors. Exposure to excessive COVID-19 information and family physical distance were associated to anxiety symptoms. Among doctors graduated in 2020, alcohol intake increased during pandemic evolution.

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Breast surgery on the post-operative well-being of women: a cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-130761/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica Ranieri ◽

Fabiana Fiasca ◽

Federica Guerra ◽

Antonella Mattei ◽

Dina Di Giacomo

Keyword(s):

Breast Reconstruction ◽

Breast Surgery ◽

Radical Mastectomy ◽

Psychological Adaptation ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Reconstruction Surgery ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background. Mammoplasty is the most common surgery that is used for both breast augmentation in healthy women (aesthetic plastic) and breast reconstruction (disease-related plastic) in women who have been diagnosed with and surgically treated for regional breast cancer with radical mastectomy (MRM). When compared to breast reconstruction surgery, aesthetic breast surgery is perceived to result in more favourable aesthetic outcomes.. This study aimed to examine the long-term effects of mammoplasty on the psychological adaptation of women.Methods. A total of 44 30–50-year-old women participated in this study. They were divided into two groups based on the type of breast surgery that they had undergone (augmentation surgery [AS] vs. reconstruction surgery [RS]) and the time that had elapsed since their surgery (≤ 3 years vs. > 3 years). Results. Our findings suggest that the psychological well-being of women who undergo AS declines over time. The women who had undergone AS ≤ 3 and > 3 years earlier did not differ in any of the indicators of emotional functioning. The only exception was their level of satisfaction with their breasts.We examined the impact of mammoplasty on the satisfaction levels and well-being of women who had undergone RS (after MRM). As expected, they were less satisfied with their breasts than those who belonged to the AS group However, this was true only among those who had undergone their surgery ≤ 3 years earlier.Conclusions. In conclusion, our findings underscore the need to provide psychological support to those who have undergone AS and RS. To shorten the adaptation process and enhance their mental well-being, personalised psychological interventions should be provided.

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