Internet Use Impact on Physical Health during COVID-19 Lockdown in Bangladesh: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Previous studies on internet use frequency were focused on mental health impact, withlittle known about the impact on physical health during the COVID-19 lockdown. This study ex-amined the impact of internet use frequency on self-reported physical health during the COVID-19lockdown in Bangladesh. A web-based cross-sectional study on 3242 individuals was conductedfrom 2 August–1 October 2020. The survey covered demographics, internet use frequency andself-reported physical health questions. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the im-pact of internet use frequency on physical health. 72.5%, 69.9%, 65.1% and 55.3% respondentsreported headache, back pain, numbness of the fingers and neck pain, respectively. The analysesshowed increased physical health impact among regular (coefficientβ= 0.52, 95% confidence interval[CI]: 0.18–0.85,p= 0.003), frequent (β= 1.21, 95% CI: 0.88–1.54,p< 0.001) and intense (β= 2.24,95% CI: 1.91–2.57,p< 0.001) internet users. Other important predictors were gender, income, occupa-tion, regions, and working status. Frequent and extensive uses of the internet were strong predictorsof physical health problems, and our findings suggest the need for increased awareness about thephysical health problems that can be triggered by excessive internet usage.