Half of university students say they have nomophobia, anxiety about not having a mobile

Women are more addicted and use it above all for social networks, while they prefer it to playThese are data from a report carried out by 57 Spanish universities, with the support of the Mapfre FoundationThe majority of university students live with their parents (48%) or share a flat (30%)Half of university students have a problematic use of mobile phones -to which they spend more than five hours a day, compared to three hours for the general population-, the majority do not follow the Mediterranean diet and 20 % present medium-high risk of alcohol addiction. These are x-ray data from the report “Use of mobile phones, lifestyle and psychological well-being in university students. Influence of the pandemic”, carried out by the REUPS, a network made up of 57 Spanish universities, with the support of the Mapfre Foundation. The work, which is based on a sample of 16,574 people with an average age of 23, most of them who live with their parents (48.7%) or with roommates (30.1%), focuses on the university population because they are in a stage of development in which habits are usually acquired that are maintained in adulthood and, therefore, it is a target sector to promote a healthy lifestyle. It determines variables such as sleep pattern, tobacco and alcohol consumption, eating habits, physical activity, mobile phone use and the influence of COVID-19. Use of the mobile phoneRegarding the use of the mobile phone, it stands out that 30.9% of the student body has spent more than 500 euros on its acquisition and that 29.5% use it for more than 5 hours on working days and 34% on weekends. week, well above the data for the general population. Women are more They are more hooked and use it above all for social networks, while they prefer it to play, explained the president of the REUPS, Antonio Aguiló. better, 74.1% when they felt alone and 59% are more dependent than they would like. Almost the same proportion affirm that they are afraid of “being left lying” without the telephone, explained Antonio Guzmán, head of the Mapfre Foundation’s health area. Almost six out of ten acknowledge that it takes away hours of sleep and 64% perceive that when you use it before going to sleep, it reduces the quality of your sleep, highlighted Aguiló, professor of public health at the University of the Balearic Islands. Health indicators In the health section, 16.6% and 4.7% of those surveyed are overweight or obesity and, by sex, highlights that e 9.7% of women are underweight compared to 3.5% of men, highlighted Aguiló. Most describe their health status as good or very good (74%), but 51.2% say that with the pandemic it has gotten worse. In women, the rates of perception of the state of health are always worse. They do not follow the Mediterranean dietGuzmán has also stressed that in 64% of those surveyed there is a “low adherence to the Mediterranean diet” and the majority eat less than twice a the week vegetables, legumes and fish. However, almost a third have improved their diet as a result of the pandemic and Health Sciences students are the ones with the best adherence to a healthy diet (40.7%), perhaps ” because they lead by example or have more knowledge”, added Guzmán. Regarding sports, 48.5% of students have carried out physical activity 3 or more times a week during confinement, increasing by 39% in the case of women and 34.5% of men. Risk of alcoholism Regarding alcohol consumption, 19.7% have a medium risk of addiction and 4.4% high risk or possible addiction. The majority (73.6%) were not affected by the pandemic in their alcohol consumption, but 8.9% admitted to drinking more. According to the professor at the University of the Balearic Islands, the patterns here are similar to those of the general population , although -he has clarified- normally the respondents usually report less consumption than the real one. 14.20% are smokers and 12.4% are ex-smokers. The pandemic has influenced 8.1% to have started smoking or smoke more and there is a medium or high dependency in 16.9% of cases. Substance use, especially cannabis, is occasional or frequent in a 7.7%. Aguiló highlighted that one in ten interviewees reported the death of a family member during the pandemic; half suffered from anxiety or depressive symptoms and 21% acknowledged having been very or quite afraid of dying from Covid-19.