Prevalence of internet gaming disorder among medical students at medical college in Jamnagar, Gujarat

Background: Smartphone usage became drastically increased in the past two decades. Spending abnormally more time playing games can lead to development of internet gaming disorder (IGD) which leads to negative impact on health and lifestyle. 

Aim and Objectives: The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of IGD and smartphone usage patterns in medical students. 

Materials and Methods: The study was held in M. P. Shah Government Medical College in Jamnagar. Total 206 1st year medical students were included for this study. Pre-validated self-made questionnaire and pre-structured IGD-20 questionnaire were used in this study. 

Results: The prevalence of IGD in medical students is 1.46%. In male population, the prevalence of IGD was higher (1.6%) compared to female population (1.23%). 

Conclusion: IGD can be a great disaster if remain unnoticed. It can change one’s lifestyle gradually. Preventive measures such as parental locking system and strong rules for mobile phone use in university hours should be implied.