Prevalence and Determinants of Internet Addiction among adults during Thecovid-19 Pandemic in Makkah, Saudi Arabia: An Online Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Internationally, internet use has increased expressively during the COVID-19 pandemic, and internet addiction (IA) hasturned out to be a severe public health issue. Consequently, this study aimed to assess IA prevalence among adults and identify its determinants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Makkah region. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, this study recruited 608 participants through a self-administered online based e-questionnaire. Young’s internet addiction test (YIAT) of 20 items was used to assess the prevalence of IA among adults. Results: The overall prevalence of IA was 29.4% among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the addiction rate was 34.7% among participants under 20 years old. Spending more time on the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic (AOR=2.06, 95% CI 1.08–3.94) were likely the reasons for IA among Makkah adults. Participants aged over 24 years (AOR= 0.39, 95% CI 0.17–0.91), living away from family (AOR= 0.45, 95% CI 0.26–0.79), committed to physical activity (AOR=0.35, 95% CI 0.24–0.52), and sleeping less than or equal 6 hours (AOR=0.63, 95% CI 0.42–0.93) had a lower chance of IA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: This study has shown that the prevalence of IA was comparatively higher among younger participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-time use of the internet, physical activity status, and sleeping duration were the most significant determinants of IA. Thus, raising awareness among the younger generation is the most important strategy to lessen IA. The findings of this study can be used to support health and educational organizations to design their programs, which will help prevent IA in Makkah during the COVID-19 pandemic.