Health impacts of Facebook usage and mobile texting among undergraduate dental students: it's time to understand the difference between usage and an excessive use.
BACKGROUND
Facebook and mobile texting are prevalent in the lives of almost every student. However, little is known about the relationship between Facebook usage or mobile texting and their impacts on health amongst undergraduate dental students. In this study, excessive Facebook use and excessive mobile texting were studied as they relate to impacts on health.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted at a private university in Malaysia. A total of 188 undergraduate dental students were interviewed using a pre-tested and self-rated questionnaire. Data collected from participants were analysed using SPSS version 18.0. Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and multiple logistic regression analyses were applied to study the relationship between explanatory variables and excessive Facebook use and excessive mobile texting.


RESULTS
The prevalence of excessive Facebook use and excessive mobile texting amongst undergraduate dental students was found to be 33.2% and 33.0%, respectively. According to a multivariate analysis, texting habits, such as the presence of daytime sleepiness after texting late at night (aOR = 2.682, 95% CI = 1.142-6.301) and the presence of anxious feelings if students failed to receive a timely response (aOR = 3.819, 95% CI = 1.580-9.230), were determined to be significant predictors of excessive mobile texting. Excessive Facebook use was found to be significantly related to three variables as follows: fewer numbers of close friends (aOR = 2.275, 95% CI = 1.057-4.898), the checking of updates on the Facebook walls of their friends (aOR = 2.582, 95% CI = 1.189-5.605) and the absence of active and vigorous feelings during Facebook use (aOR = 3.401, 95% CI = 1.233-9.434).


CONCLUSIONS
Approximately one-third of undergraduate dental students in this study experienced excessive Facebook use and/or excessive mobile texting. Health education and promotion should be instituted to create awareness, whilst students should be advised to practise self-control with respect to both mobile texting and Facebook usage.
Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Y L
YL
Lee
Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. royal_mpcp@yahoo.co.in.
R K
RK
Verma
Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
H
H
Yadav
Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
A
A
Barua
D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D012044:Regression Analysis; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology; D061108:Social Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D066262:Social Norms; D066252:Sociological Factors; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D060145:Text Messaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
Facebook usage; dental students; excessive Facebook use; excessive mobile texting; mobile texting