Prevalence and Associated Factors of Smartphone Addiction among University Students: A Northern Saudi Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Smartphones have become an essential part of human life, including
university students. Smartphones provides several advantages, but their addiction leads
to several health hazards.
Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of
smartphone addiction among university students in Aljouf province, Northern Saudi
Arabia.
Participants and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 348 college
students of Jouf University, Saudi Arabia by applying a multistage sampling method.
Smartphone addiction status was assessed by validated Arabic form of Smartphone
Addiction Scale – Shorter Version. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to
identify the associated factors.
Results: The prevalence of smartphone addiction among university students was 55.5%.
Smartphone addiction was significantly higher among the students who were living
alone (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]) = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.18-3.41), sleeping less hours
per day (AOR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.70-0.96), perceived stress (AOR = 3.99, 95% CI =
2.20-7.18), and using smartphone >3 hours per day (AOR = 3.89, 95% CI = 2.17-6.96).
Regarding the pattern of usage, browsing the internet for entertainment (31.3%) was the
commonest purpose of using smartphones followed by browsing the internet for
education (27.6%) and social media (25.0%).
Conclusions: Smartphone addiction is highly prevalent among university students. This
study found several predictors of smartphone addiction. Hence, health education and
awareness-raising strategies regarding smartphone addiction and its health hazards are
to be implemented at universities with special attention to the students who are at higher
risk.