Do Age, Gender and Poor Diet Influence the Higher Prevalence of Nomophobia among Young People?

Abstract

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is generating the emergence of new pathologies such as nomophobia. The aim of this research was to analyze the prevalence of nomophobia among young people, as well as to check whether the level of nomophobia is higher in males or females and in those students who claim to have less healthy nutrition due to the use of their mobile phones. The research method was based on a correlational and predictive design with a quantitative methodology. The measurement tool used is the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q). The participating sample was 1743 students between 12 and 20 years old from different educational stages of the Autonomous City of Ceuta (Spain). The results show that highest rates of nomophobia were found in relation to the inability to communicate and contact others immediately. About gender, women have higher rates of nomophobia than men. In relation to age, no significant differences were found; thus, the problem may affect all ages equally. Finally, students who think that their smartphone use is detrimental to their good nutrition show higher levels on the scale provided.

Nomophobia and its predictors in undergraduate students of Lahore, Pakistan

“…Interestingly, though no significant gender differences were seen in smartphone use (number of hours of usage, number of times checked), significant differences in nomophobia scores were seen between men and women. This is in line with previous research in other contexts which has found that women tend to report higher levels of nomophobia [4,5,25,26,27].…”

“…In terms of vulnerability to nomophobia, higher levels of nomophobia have been found to be related to various demographic variables, including: gender, level of education, age, and frequency of use in various studies in India [4,5,8,9,13,22,23,24]; however, there is again a scarcity of research into nomophobia and its correlates in Pakistan. In particular, women are notably more likely to experience Nomophobia [4,5,13,25,26,27] because they do not want to feel lonely in public places, are afraid of losing contact with others and do not want to give up their comfort [13,26]. Also, those with higher levels of education are more likely to purchase and use Smartphones [1] and those within the age bracket of 18-34 have the highest rates of internet use [1].…”

The Association between Symptoms of Nomophobia, Insomnia and Food Addiction among Young Adults: Findings of an Exploratory Cross-Sectional Survey

“…At present, there are only a few studies to investigate the association between nomophobia and diets and eating behaviors [ 20 , 21 ]. Existing research concludes that nomophobia is associated with food group consumption [ 13 ].…”

“…Individuals with high levels of nomophobia are more likely to skip meals [ 7 ], have irregular eating habits [ 22 ], and consume fewer vegetables, fruits, and dairy products [ 23 , 24 ]. Excessive use of smartphones is related to disordered eating in young adults as indicated by increased consumption of processed and fast food, and increased body mass index [ 21 , 25 ]. Given these relationships it is possible that nomophobia may also be associated with disordered eating/food addiction.…”

Digital Competence and Gender: Teachers in Training. A Case Study

“…However, they found that the self-rated ability of women is significantly lower than that of men. Perhaps one of the most serious challenges is the nomophobia, behavioural disorder about digital technologies, usually smartphones; this issue has more women than men affected [48].…”