The Prevalence of Mobile Phone Use in The School Going Children in North Al Batinah Region of Oman: A Cross Sectional Study
Najam Siddiqi1, Muhammad Humza Kamal3, Faisal Moin2, Mohammad Amir Rafei3, Fatma Al-Shehi3, Rana Al-Maqbali3, Aisha Salim Al-Battashy3, Arwa Abdullah Al-Mujaini3, Fatima Hassan Al-Belushi3, Samira Mohammad Gondal3, Reem Al-Maqbali3, Mira Abdullah Al-Sulitni3, Mariam Begum Mohammad3, Bibi Amina Poli3, Aliya Juma Al-Saadi3, Alba Musabah Al-Mubaishi3, Anood Salim Al-Rawahi3 and Basant Samy Aamer31Department of Anatomy and Neuroanatomy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, National University of Science and Technology, Oman
2Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, National University of Science and Technology, Oman.
3Department of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, National University of Science and Technology, Oman.
Corresponding Author E-mail: najamsiddiqi@nu.edu.om
Abstract: The use of mobile phones has become increasingly common among general population, but how much has it increased among the young school going population remains to be seen.Our objective was to investigate the prevalence of mobile phone use, during and after school hours, and its ownership in the primary and secondary section students in Oman.We surveyed 414 students in Cycle 1 and 1438 students in Cycle 2 in the city of Sohar, North Al Batinah region of Oman. Students completed a paper-based questionnaire about mobile phone use, the apps they use and whether their parents keep a check on their cell phone use. 86% of primary section students reported using a mobile phone whereas 91% of students in secondary section reported use of mobile phone. Most popular mobile use among the primary section students were playing games on mobile phones whereas, secondary section students mostly used their phones to access internet. 86.7% of primary section students said that their parents were aware of how they used their mobile phones compared to 83.4% students in secondary section. Smart phone ownership and its use in school going students in Oman have increased from the past and is now almost the same in the students of primary and secondary sections. Students now start using mobile at a much younger age;however, the parents are well aware of the contents on their children’s mobile devices and sometimes even take away their mobile phone as punishment.
Keywords: Electromagnetic Waves; North Al Batinah Region of Oman; School Going Children; Use of Mobile Phone Back to TOC