Internet addiction (IA) is a growing concern among school‐going teenagers worldwide, including in Bangladesh, which may affect their health and well‐being. This study had two aims: first, to estimate the proportion of school‐going adolescents reporting different health and well‐being symptoms (headache, dizziness, fatigue, sleeping problems, depression, and palpitations); and second, to examine the association between internet addiction (IA) and these outcomes in both urban and rural areas of Bangladesh.
A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in urban and rural areas from January to December 2021 among 384 school‐going adolescents. Adolescents aged 10 to 19 years studying in school and using cellphones for at least 6 months were interviewed through a two‐stage cluster sampling technique. The Pearson Chi‐square test, bar charts, and binary logistic regression model were utilized to analyze the data.
The majority of adolescents (86.06%) were aged 15–19 years, with 55.73% female, evenly split between rural and urban areas. The prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe Internet addiction (IA) was 24.48%, 13.8%, and 1.04%, respectively. Half of the respondents with severe IA reported headaches and palpitations, while 75.00% experienced fatigue, sleep problems, and depression. Moreover, dizziness, headache, and palpitations were reported by 50.00% of those with severe IA. Higher age (15 to 19) and females were associated with a greater risk of these symptoms, while rural adolescents suffered less, except for sleep problems. Severe IA significantly increased the likelihood of headaches [AOR: 3.96, CI: 0.54–28.83, p = 0.17], dizziness [AOR: 14.53, CI: 1.91–110.5, p < 0.01], fatigue [AOR: 11.27, CI: 1.15 ‐ 110.69, p = 0.04], sleep problems [AOR: 35.83, CI: 3.54–362.34, p < 0.01], depression [AOR: 43.6, CI: 4.27–444.93, p < 0.01], and palpitations [AOR: 10.1, CI: 1.35–75.39, p = 0.02].
Older age (15–19), females, and urban adolescents are more likely to experience poor levels of health‐related well‐being. Furthermore, Higher levels of IA among Bangladeshi school‐going teenagers are significantly associated with their poor self‐reported well‐being.