Frequency of nomophobia among medical students of Hayatabad: A cross sectional survey

Background: Nomophobia is relatively new medical term coined in 2008 by a UK based health organization. It is an acronym to the term “No mobile phone phobia” and it refers to people anxiety and fear of not being able to use their smart phones due to their battery running out or being out of coverage area. In some cases, it can become a serious mental problem for those affected. This study was conducted to find out the frequency of Nomophobia in medical students of Hayatabad. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on of medical students of Hayatabad and included all 5 years MBBS students in the survey. Participants who didn’t own their own smart phone were excluded from the study. Total sample size was 325 participants. Convenient sampling methods was used for data collection. Demographic data was obtained initially and nomophobia was assessed using NMP-Q questionnaire which is 7-point Likert scale and performed scoring and minimum possible score was 20, whereas maximum possible score was 140. Data was analyzed using SPSS-version 21. Results: A total of 130 (40%) males and 195 (60%) females participated in the study. Mean age of the participants was 21.72±3.043. Out of total 325 participants majority of the participants 168 (51.7%) reported to have moderate level of nomophobia followed by severe levels. Only 42 (12.9%) participants reported to have mild levels nomophobia. Conclusion: The current study findings showed that nomophobia is quite common in medical students. Nomophobia is a serious mental health issue and awareness needs to be created to help minimize it.