EFFECTIVENESS OF EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION AND OBESITY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS IN SELECTED COLLEGES, CHENNAI

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Vahitha Mala.K, Dr. Nappinnai Seran
Dr. Seethalakshmi. A, Rejili Grace Joy.M

Abstract

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on social media addiction and obesity among young adults in selected colleges in Chennai.


Method


The experimental study was conducted in Nursing and Arts college students, encompassing a total of 1160 participants aged between 18-24 years who consented to participate. Screening for social media addiction was conducted utilizing the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), identifying 960 students with such addiction. From this group, a sample of 676 students was selected via a simple random sampling technique, with 340 students assigned to the experimental group and 336 to the control group.


A pretest was conducted for both groups, gathering socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, educational status, course name, university, residence (hostel/day scholar), family type, family size, parental occupation and income, smoking and drinking habits, religion, smartphone usage habits before sleep, dietary habits (vegetarian/non-vegetarian, eating snacks in front of screens), physical activity/exercise practices, difficulty falling asleep, hours spent on social media, height, weight, and overall dietary habits. Additionally, measurements of height and weight were taken to calculate BMI.


The educational intervention, provided to the experimental group, comprised lectures, discussions, brainstorming sessions, and the distribution of leaflets containing information and images illustrating the impact of social media addiction, the importance of physical exercise, food items to be avoided, and suggestions on utilizing time effectively. Post-tests were conducted at the first, third, and sixth months after the intervention for both experimental and control groups.


Results


Out of the 1160 samples, 960 (82.7%) were identified as addicted to social media. In the pretest, there were no significant distinctions observed between the experimental and control groups. However, during the subsequent assessments, notable disparities became evident. Particularly, in post-tests 1 (Mean Difference -2.44), 2 (Mean Difference -4.88), and 3 (Mean Difference -8.91), substantial differences emerged between the experimental and control groups. These outcomes underscore the statistical significance of the variances noted between the two groups. Hence, it is evident that educational intervention has shown remarkable effectiveness in alleviating social media addiction. In all post-tests, chi-square tests revealed non-significant differences (NS) between the experimental and control groups across different BMI categories. However, physical activity/exercise seems to exert a significant influence on BMI reduction scores. This study observed an association between the BMI reduction score and demographic variables, particularly physical exercise in the experimental group. Education intervention strategies proved to be effective in reducing BMI among young adults.


Conclusion


The data indicate that the educational intervention effectively reduced social media addiction among participants, as evidenced by significantly lower mean scores in the experimental group compared to the control group across multiple post-test assessments. These findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions in addressing problematic social media use and promoting digital well-being among young adults. The data provide insight into the distribution of BMI levels among participants over time, the lack of significant differences between the experimental and control groups suggests that the educational intervention had a limited impact on participants' BMI levels.


 

Article Details

How to Cite
Dr. Nappinnai Seran, V. M., & Rejili Grace Joy.M, D. S. A. (2024). EFFECTIVENESS OF EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION AND OBESITY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS IN SELECTED COLLEGES, CHENNAI. Obstetrics and Gynaecology Forum, 34(3s), 2520–2528. Retrieved from https://obstetricsandgynaecologyforum.com/index.php/ogf/article/view/742
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