Internet Use and Addiction: A Cross-sectional Study to ascertain Internet Utilization Level for Academic & Non-Academic Purpose among Medical and University Students of Bangladesh

Objective: The Internet is an essential component for providing current and up to date information in education. Despite the significant advantages, abuse of internet results in Internet addiction (IA) disorder. The present study aims to determine the level of IA and internet behavior pattern among medical and university students in Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 379 students in Bangladesh from one private medical college and one private university of Chittagong during the study period from 2017 to 2018. Analysis for throughput, "Young's IA test (IAT)'' was used. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Cronbach's alpha coefficient, the independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were utilized and P<0.05 as significant. Results: The mean +/- SD of "IAT" score was 47.97 +/- 13.61. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.83. The majority (54.88%) of the participants was "mild user''. The majority (63.39%) of the medical students was "mild user,'' and the majority (61.60%) of the university students were "moderate user." Statistically, a significant difference was found between "IAT" score and "Duration of internet use" of the medical and university students (p = 0.00). A significant difference was observed between age, sex, and IA. The majority (86.61%) of medical students used the internet for social networking, and the majority (71.2%) of university students used the internet for education purpose. Maximum participants use "Smartphone" and "mobile 3G" and had an email address and a social network account. Conclusions: Early detection of internet dependence could help to take appropriate steps to tackle the growing problem of IA.