The Relationship between Internet Use and Health Behaviors among Adolescents

Eun Gyeong Kim

doi:10.12799/jkachn.2015.26.1.52

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Kim: The Relationship between Internet Use and Health Behaviors among Adolescents

Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing 2015; 26(1): 52-60.

Published online: 31 March 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2015.26.1.52

The Relationship between Internet Use and Health Behaviors among Adolescents

Eun Gyeong Kim

Department of Nursing, Kunsan National University, Gunsan, Korea.

Corresponding author: Kim, Eun Gyeong. Department of Nursing, Kunsan National University, 558 Daehank-ro, Gunsan 573-701, Korea. Tel: +82-10-9356-2098, Fax: +82-63-469-7429, egkim@kunsan.ac.kr

Received 21 November 2014 Revised 14 March 2015 Accepted 24 March 2015

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

The study was performed in order to identify the relationship between health behaviors and Internet use among adolescents.

Methods

The study used raw data from the Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey that was performed in 2012. Data of a total of 74,186 students were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 18. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and Pearson's correlation.

Results

Internet use and health behaviors were significantly related to gender, depression, suicidal intent, parents' educational level, cohabitation with parents at home, school location, and grade. There was a significant association between Internet use and health behaviors in adolescents.

Conclusion

Health promotion and education programs need to consider factors found relevant in this study.

Keywords: Adolescent, Internet, Health behaviors

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Health Behaviors and Internet Use Characteristics (N=74,186)

Variables	Characteristics	Categories	n (%) or M±SD
Health behaviors	Smoking	Yes	8,362 (11.3)
	Smoking	No	65,824 (88.7)
	Drinking	Yes	14,323 (19.3)
	Drinking	No	59,863 (80.7)
	Weight control	Yes	65,687 (90.9)
	Weight control	No	6,542 (9.1)
	Regular exercise	Yes	26,251 (35.4)
	Regular exercise	No	47,935 (64.6)
	Eating breakfast	Yes	35,734 (48.2)
	Eating breakfast	No	38,452 (51.8)
	Sufficient sleep	Yes	22,952 (36.0)
	Sufficient sleep	No	40,734 (64.0)
Internet use	Time (minute)	Weekday	149.0±122.64
	Time (minute)	Weekend	209.7±142.37
	Service	Learning	10,787 (14.5)
		Information retrieval	9,025 (12.2)
		Messenger/chatting	6,989 (9.4)
		Game	23,451 (31.6)
		Movie download	3,052 (4.1)
		MP3/Music download	7,057 (9.5)
		Animation/Story download	4,268 (5.8)
		UCC	673 (0.9)
		Association/community	2,775 (3.7)
		E-mail	159 (0.2)
		On-line shopping	2,054 (2.8)
		Pornography retrieval	531 (0.7)
		Blog/mini homepage	3,216 (4.3)
		Others	152 (0.2)

Table 2

Health Behaviors and Internet Use by General Characteristics (N=74,186)

Variables	Categories	n (%)	Internet use time (minute)				Health Practice Index
			Weekday		Weekend		Health Practice Index
			M±SD	t (p)	M±SD	t (p)	M±SD	t (p)
Gender	Male	38,221 (51.5)	154.7±128.89	6.88 (<.001)	223.5±146.25	22.08 (<.001)	4.1±1.72	9.22 (<.001)
Gender	Female	35,965 (48.5)	142.1±120.98	6.88 (<.001)	180.1±135.51	22.08 (<.001)	3.9±1.68	9.22 (<.001)
Depression	Yes	22,745 (30.7)	163.0±141.20	-9.54 (<.001)	222.1±159.10	-9.54 (<.001)	3.5±1.82	39.17 (<.001)
Depression	No	51,441 (69.3)	144.4±118.79	-9.54 (<.001)	202.0±137.14	-9.54 (<.001)	4.3±1.59	39.17 (<.001)
Suicidal intent	Yes	13,635 (18.4)	169.6±154.38	-10.31 (<.001)	228.2±168.90	-9.76 (<.001)	3.3±1.82	36.25 (<.001)
Suicidal intent	No	60,551 (81.6)	145.6±118.69	-10.31 (<.001)	203.5±137.89	-9.76 (<.001)	4.2±1.63	36.25 (<.001)
Father's education (year)	≤12	32,212 (45.3)	144.3±121.47	-3.69 (<.001)	196.0±133,52	-9.51 (<.001)	4.3±1.59	10.17 (<.001)
Father's education (year)	>12	38,915 (54.7)	150.8±122.36	-3.69 (<.001)	214.2±146.26	-9.51 (<.001)	3.9±1.75	10.17 (<.001)
Mother's education (year)	≤12	25,507 (35.8)	144.4±123.15	-3.01 (.003)	194.9±134.23	-8.42 (<.001)	4.4±1.55	22.94 (<.001)
Mother's education (year)	>12	45,792 (64.2)	149.9±121.36	-3.01 (.003)	211.6±143.43	-8.42 (<.001)	3.9±1.74	22.94 (<.001)
Cohabitant	Both-parent	60,490 (87.7)	144.8±119.29	-7.31 (<.001)	201.4±136.96	-10.74 (<.001)	4.2±1.64	20.56 (<.001)
Cohabitant	Single-parent or none-parent	8,500 (12.3)	164.6±133.71	-7.31 (<.001)	233.2±155.93	-10.74 (<.001)	3.6±1.81	20.56 (<.001)
City scale	Big	33,568 (45.2)	149.1±124.46	-0.69 (.492)	202.6±139.03	-4.80 (<.001)	4.1±1.68	4.61 (<.001)
City scale	Middle or small	40,618 (54.8)	150.4±127.36	-0.69 (.492)	211.8±147.68	-4.80 (<.001)	4.0±1.72	4.61 (<.001)
School grade	Middle school	37,297 (50.3)	147.7±121.96	-3.00 (.003)	196.0±136.42	-14.89 (<.001)	4.8±1.28	79.98 (<.001)
School grade	High school or vocational high school	36,889 (49.7)	153.1±131.08	-3.00 (.003)	225.0±152.83	-14.89 (<.001)	3.0±1.72	79.98 (<.001)

Table 3

Internet Use Time by Health Behaviors (N=74,186)

Variables	Categories	Internet use time (minute)
		Weekday			Weekend
		M±SD	t	p	M±SD	t	p
Smoking	Yes	174.1±156.89	12.54	<.001	241.4±175.27	15.57	<.001
Smoking	No	144.7±117.95	12.54	<.001	201.2±136.09	15.57	<.001
Drinking	Yes	169.1±147.80	12.63	<.001	233.9±167.90	15.51	<.001
Drinking	No	143.3±117.08	12.63	<.001	199.4±134.42	15.51	<.001
Weight control	Yes	145.4±118.43	7.18	<.001	200.5±136.23	15.21	<.001
Weight control	No	166.2±139.65	7.18	<.001	248.1±161.29	15.21	<.001
Regular exercise	Yes	147.8±124.04	2.38	.017	203.0±136.60	5.31	<.001
Regular exercise	No	152.1±128.22	2.38	.017	213.2±151.94	5.31	<.001
Eating breakfast	Yes	141.5±119.80	12.06	<.001	196.2±134.92	16.10	<.001
Eating breakfast	No	163.7±134.75	12.06	<.001	228.1±156.61	16.10	<.001
Sufficient sleep	Yes	139.8±108.25	8.50	<.001	191.9±127.18	14.85	<.001
Sufficient sleep	No	154.9±129.80	8.50	<.001	220.9±149.90	14.85	<.001

Table 4

Correlation of Health Practice Index and Internet Use Time

Variables	Categories	HPI	Internet use time
Variables	Categories	HPI	Weekday	Weekend
HPI		1
Internet use time	Weekday	-.11^*	1
Internet use time	Weekend	-.15^*	.61^*	1

^*P<.01 by Pearson Correlation; HPI=Health practice index.

Notes

This study was supported by Kunsan National University fond in 2012.

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