Evaluation of Impact of Social Media Networking on Health Status- An Observational Study

Impact of Social Media Networking on Health Status

Abstract

Background: Social relationships, which are contingent on access to social networks, promote engagement in social activities and provide access to social support. The present study was conducted to assess the effect of social media on health status. Subjects and Methods: The present study comprised of 1050 subjects of both genders. A questionnaire was designed to acquire information such as number of hours spent on social site, type of sites visualized and effect on general health. Responds were recorded and tabulated. Results: It showed that 70 (6.7%) subjects used to spend 1 hour/day, 260 (24.7%) subjects spent 2 hours/day and 720 (68.6%) used to spend >2 hours/day on social media. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Most commonly seen site was facebook in 760 subjects, whatsapp by 820, yahoo by 870, twitter by 252 and instagram by 436 subjects. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Maximum cases of stress (344) were seen in subjects who spent >2 hours/day on social media. Similarly, 240 had loss of concentration, 680 had obesity and 270 had hypertension who spent >2 hours/day on social media. Conclusion: Authors observed that as the duration on social media increased, the health related troubles increased. Obesity, hypertension, and stress were commonly seen health problems.