Digital device usage and its association with health among Mongolian adolescents.

Prolonged digital device usage was associated with significantly higher odds of glasses use compared to low usage.

• Prolonged usage (≥7 hours/day) vs low usage (0-3 hours/day) yielded OR 3.03 (95% CI 1.48 to 6.22)
• Cross-sectional survey of 558 adolescents aged 11-17 years in Mongolian secondary schools
• 69.8% of participants were female
• Data collected January to February 2024 via Google Forms
• Estimates were adjusted using multivariable logistic regression models

Prolonged digital device usage was associated with higher odds of eye dryness or redness.

• Prolonged usage vs low usage: OR 2.09 (95% CI 1.40 to 3.14)
• Usage categories were defined as low (0-3 hours), moderate (4-6 hours), or prolonged (≥7 hours) per day
• Eye dryness or redness was a self-reported physical health outcome

Prolonged digital device usage was associated with higher odds of headaches.

• Prolonged usage vs low usage: OR 2.27 (95% CI 1.10 to 4.87)
• Headaches were categorized as a self-reported physical health measure
• Regular exercise was associated with fewer headaches for moderate users but not for prolonged users

Prolonged digital device usage was associated with substantially higher odds of sleep difficulties.

• Prolonged usage vs low usage: OR 5.09 (95% CI 2.29 to 11.28)
• Sleep difficulties were classified as a mental/emotional health outcome
• This was among the strongest associations observed in the study

Prolonged digital device usage was associated with higher odds of happiness during use.

• Prolonged usage vs low usage: OR 4.70 (95% CI 1.84 to 14.61)
• Both prolonged and moderate usage for entertainment or socialising purposes was associated with greater happiness compared with low usage
• No significant difference in happiness was observed between prolonged and moderate usage
• No association between usage and happiness was observed for e-learning or other purposes

Parental control and self-awareness were associated with reduced prolonged digital device usage.

• These were identified as protective factors against prolonged usage (≥7 hours/day)
• The study recommends that families and schools collaborate to implement parental controls and promote self-awareness
• Findings were derived from multivariable logistic regression models

Regular exercise was associated with fewer headaches among moderate digital device users but not among prolonged users.

• This interaction suggests that exercise may be insufficient to mitigate headache risk at the highest levels of digital device use
• Exercise was assessed alongside physical health outcomes including headaches
• This finding applied specifically to moderate users (4-6 hours/day) and not to prolonged users (≥7 hours/day)

The study population consisted of Mongolian secondary school adolescents with a predominantly female sample.

• 558 consenting participants were included in the analysis
• Age range was 11-17 years
• 69.8% of participants were female
• Data were collected from January to February 2024 using Google Forms in secondary schools