Approved research

Effects of the use of computer games, internet use and mobile phone use on the physical and mental health of the UK Biobank population

Lay summary

This research will look into the effect of electronic device use on self-reported health conditions at baseline and on health outcomes over the longer-term. Given the changing lifestyle conditions as a result of broadband technology adoption and use we intend to analyze the effects of the use of computer games, internet use and mobile phone use on the physical and mental health of the UK Biobank population. Building on information across different levels of usage intensities we will frame our project in three phases: In the first phase we conduct a cross-sectional analysis to identify associations between use of electronic devices, other lifestyle factors (such as physical activity, alcohol use, socio-demographics, psychological factors and others) and self-reported health conditions. In the second phase, we will identify changes in electronic device over time using data from the repeat assessment. In the third phase, we will assess the association of electronic device use on a whole range of health outcomes, including hypertension, dementia, etc. This work seeks to expand our understanding of the impending lifestyle changes through information technology use on health.