IJSR International Journal of Scientific Research 2277 - 8179 Indian Society for Health and Advanced Research ijsr-6-5-10765 Original Research Paper HEALTH HAZARDS OF HAND HELD ELECTRONIC DEVICES AMONG YOUNGSTERS. K Dr. May 2017 6 5 01 02 ABSTRACT

 INTRODUCTION: Hand held electronic devices has become a inevitable part of our modern life. These devices has many advanatges along with few side effects. Excessive use of electronic devices causes various health hazards and is associated with obesity and psychological changes . AIM & OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study is to find health complaints among youngsters  due to longterm use of hand held electronic devices and to find the association between electronic device usage and  stress and obesity. MATERIALS & METHODS: This prospective study was conducted among a  total of 580 medical college students and 300 school children of age group 8–14 years from Tamilnadu. A detailed questionnaire pertaining to the study was given to the students involved in the study. We calculated BMI(Body Mass Index) for all the study subjects. All the results were analysed statistically using SPSS Version 18  package and Chi square test. RESULTS AND OBSERVATION:  We observed that 98.2% of college students and 50.5% of  school students were using cellular phones. There is a significant association between chronic mobile use and health hazards (p<0.001). The common health complaints are musculoskeletal pain (42.3%), phantom ringing (10%), head ache (9.2%) and stress (14.5%).We found in our study that 10.8% of college students  and 5.2% of school students who use electronic devices excessively were obese ( p<0.001).  CONCLUSION: We conclude from our study that excessive use of electronic devices causes many health problems  and is  associated with obesity probably due to increased stress, sedentary life style, and unhealthy snacking.. We intend to create an awareness among  the public by publishing this study report.