• Saudi Med J · Aug 2024

    Electronic device usage among preschool children and its association with mental health status in Saudi Arabian kindergartens.

    • Siham O Al-Mehmadi, Abdulrahman T Halawani, Mrnan T Sulaimani, and Tamim O Al-Mehmadi.
    • From the Department of Preventive Medicine (S. Al-Mehmadi), Saudi Board of Preventive Medicine Al-Madinah joint program, Makkah Healthcare Cluster, Makkah; from the Department of Preventive Medicine, (Halawani), Ministry of Health, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah; from the Department of Preventive Medicine (Sulaimani) Saudi Board of Preventive Medicine Makkah joint program, Makkah Healthcare Cluster, Makkah; and from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (T. Al-Mehmadi), Maternity and Children Hospital, Makkah Healthcare Cluster, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
    • Saudi Med J. 2024 Aug 1; 45 (9): 945951945-951.

    ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of electronic device usage and its association with mental health status among preschool children aged 3-6 years.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among preschool children aged 3-6 years in kindergartens in Makkah city in 2023-2024, using an electronic questionnaire. An Arabic version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to assess mental health.ResultsWe recruited a total of 399 children. The prevalence of electronic device usage was 91.5%. The number of hours spent using electronic devices ranged from 0 to 12 hour (h)/day, with a mean of 3.1 h/day. We found a significant positive correlation between the number of hours spent using electronic devices and emotional problems (r=0.200, p<0.001), conduct problems (r=0.149, p=0.003), hyperactivity (r=0.279, p<0.001), peer problems (r=0.104, p=0.038), and total difficulty scores (r=0.263, p<0.001). We also found a significant negative correlation between the number of hours spent using electronic devices and the prosocial score (r= -0.128, p=0.011), and most of the included children had scores within the "close to average" category across all scales of mental health status.ConclusionThere was a high prevalence of electronic device usage among preschool children, which exceeded the recommended time limit. A significant correlation was observed between electronic device use and mental health scores. Further longitudinal studies are required to understand the nature of this association and its implications for child development.Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.

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