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INTERNET BEHAVIOUR PATTERN IN UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS IN MANGALORE

VidyaMavila Chathoth, Bhagyalakshmi Kodavanji, Nayanatara Arunkumar, Sheila Ramesh Pai

Considering the explosive growth in internet use among medical students in India, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of internet addiction in undergraduate medical students.This cross-sectional study involved 90 subjects (18- 20 years of age) selected by random sampling from the first year undergraduate medical student population at Kasturba Medical College Mangalore. Young’s Internet addiction test questionnaire was administered. Based on the scoring, subjects were classified into normal users (score <20), mild (score 20-49), moderate (score 50-79) and severe (score >79) internet addiction groups.The prevalence of internet addiction (moderate and severe) was determined to be 18.88%. Majority (57.77%) conformed to mild addiction. The most common purpose for internet use was found to be social networking (97.8%), followed closely by e mailing (87.8%).The prevalence of moderate to severe internet addiction appeared to be low, a significant number of students conform to mild addiction.