Internet

 The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines may have raised public concerns about their safety and side effects in the United States (US). This study aimed to assess trends in online searches related to the safety and side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in the US from 2021-2022.

 Google COVID-19 Vaccination Search Insights was used to analyze searches about COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects in the US from January 4, 2021, to November 21, 2022 (98 weeks). Data were scaled from 0 (low interest) to 100 (high interest) as a fixed scaling factor called scaled normalized interest (SNI) to indicate relative search interest over time and by location. A joinpoint regression analysis was used to determine the search trends during the study period.

 Analysis included 709 counties across 38 US states. Searches of COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects peaked in April 2021 in the District of Columbia (SNI: 35.8), Massachusetts (29.7), New Hampshire (27.4), Connecticut (27.3), and Maine (26.7), then decreased significantly by an average monthly percentage change (AMPC) of -16.6% (95% CI -19.9 to -13.3) until July 2022. Overall AMPC from January 2021 to November 2022 was -8.9% (95% CI -16.2 to -0.9; P<0.001).

 Online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects decreased dramatically over time, supporting the utility of digital surveillance to track real-time vaccine safety concerns. This study provides insights into public interest in COVID-19 vaccine risks and can help monitor potential safety issues.

The emergence of the Internet of Behaviors (IoB) has created new opportunities for influencing and guiding human decisionmaking. IoB refers to the collection, analysis, and application ofdata generated by individuals’ online activities, behaviors, and interactions. This concept integrates data from various sources, including social media, wearable devices, smartphones, andother digital platforms, to gain insights into human behavior patterns. This technology can profoundly affect various areas of our lives, such as healthcare, education, and transportation. Thispaper explores the transformative potential of IoB in educational businesses, where it enables personalized learning, real-time feedback, and improved student retention. By analyzing data onstudent engagement and performance, IoB supports differentiated instruction, enhances collaborative learning, and drives datadriven curriculum development. Additionally, IoB contributes to students’ health and safety through wearable technology and promotes smart, resource-efficient classrooms. However, the implementation of IoB in education poses significant challenges, including privacy concerns, technical complexities, and access disparities. The paper identifies key areas for future research, such as the integration of IoB with traditional pedagogical approaches, equitable access to IoB technologies, and development of ethical standards to safeguard student privacy. This commentary underscores IoB’s potential to revolutionize education while emphasizing the need for careful consideration of its challenges to ensure broad and equitable benefits.

The availability and use of various social networks influence individuals’ lives. This survey aimed to determine students’ quality of life and its relationship with internet and social networks use in the shadow of the COVID-19 outbreak. This descriptive survey was performed on 350 eligible students from Alborz University of Medical Sciences in 2021. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using three questionnaires covering socioeconomic status, social networks, quality of life, and a sociodemographic checklist. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. In this study, the average age of participants was 22.42±2.8 years, with an average daily social network usage of 3.76±2.11 hours. The mean quality of life score was 62.9±16.9, and the mean score for social network engagement was 49.87±9.3. A significant association was found between social network scores and both the type of social network used and the average time spent on these platforms. Within the dimensions of social network use, the type of social network (B=-0.230) served as a negative predictor, while 4-5 hours of daily social network use (B=0.196) served as a positive predictor for quality of life scores. The study findings indicate a significant connection between the use of the Internet and social networks and students’ quality of life. Therefore, it is imperative to address the time spent on and the type of social networks that is particularly important.

 This study investigated the online information-seeking behaviours of breast cancer patients at Jordan University Hospital, focusing on their dissatisfaction with available online health resources and its impact on their well-being and anxiety levels.

 Employing descriptive phenomenology and convenience sampling, we conducted five Skype-based focus groups with 4-6 breast cancer survivors each, from March to July 2020. Data analysis was performed using NVivo, following Braun and Clark’s inductive thematic analysis framework.

 The thematic analysis revealed critical insights into survivors’ interactions with online cancer resources, identifying key subthemes such as the quality of online information, cyberchondriasis, health literacy and search strategies, the distress caused by counterproductive searches, and the tendency to avoid internet searches.

 The study underscores the challenges breast cancer survivors face in accessing online health information, especially in Arabic. It highlights the need to improve the quality and accessibility of these resources. Enhancing the cultural relevance of online materials and educating patients on effective information evaluation are crucial. These measures can significantly boost health literacy, mitigate anxiety, and provide better support for breast cancer survivors.

The term "internet addiction" (IA) describes a compulsive behavior associated with any online activity that disrupts everyday social interactions. Main aim of this research was to determine variables and development predictors of Internet addiction.

A total of 1,669 respondents participated in this research; 1,040 of them (62.3%) were female, 590 (35.4%) were male, and 39 (2.3%) did not want to declare their gender. The average age of the respondents was 15.09±1.757. Data were collected using an online form consisted of demographic data, questions related to the use of the Internet, the Internet Addiction Scale, and the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-auto questionnaire version (TEMPS-A) for adolescents.

The relationship between Internet addiction and age, addictive substance use frequency, purpose, time spent on the internet, and type of temperament has been proven. Analysis results indicate that the risk of developing internet addiction is higher if an adolescent spends 1-3 hours and more than 3 hours daily (2.8 and 8.2 times, respectively). Increasing age numbers for 1 unit (year), the risk of internet addiction developing is decreasing by 11.3%. Hyperthymic temperament type decreases the risk of 70.9% of internet addiction developing.

It is important to highlight importance of our results since practitioners can utilize our findings to create targeted treatments and prevent internet addiction in adolescents.

Dear Editor, Coronavirus disease (COVID‑19), a terrifying pandemic that has plagued the world for more than 2 years and continues to infect and kill people, mutations in its spheres, especially the omicron sphere, has accelerated the incidence of infection and death. According to the World Health Organization on February 25, 2022, more than 5 million COVID‑19 deaths were reported worldwide.

Despite all the positive features of the internet, the risk of addiction threatens users. Sleep disorders and the negative effects on self-efficacy are important risks of this technology. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of modifying the parent-child interaction pattern based on play therapy (filial therapy) on internet addiction, sleep quality, and self-efficacy in 9-12-year-old children. This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the study consisted of all 3617 boys and girls aged 9-12 years studying in selected schools in Kerman, Iran (12 elementary schools) in the academic year 2020-2021. A total of 72 students were randomly selected from among the children who met the benchmark score of internet addiction and were not under medical and psychological treatment. The participants were divided into two experimental and control groups (36 students each). A demographic information questionnaire, the Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS), the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.  The mean scores of internet addiction in the pre-test and post-test were 86.67 and 86.23 in the control group and 88.14 and 75.14 in the experimental group, respectively, which showed a decrease in internet addiction. The scores of sleep quality in the pre-test and post-test were 1.81 and 1.78 in the control group and 1.75 and 0.5 in the experimental group, respectively.Moreover, the overall scores of self-efficacy in the pre-test and post-test were 63.64 and 63.94 in the control group and 62.08and 81.75 in the experimental group, respectively. The results indicated an improvement in the overall quality of sleep and selfefficacy. The results showed that the severity of internet addiction in children decreased after the treatment based on modifying the parent-child interaction, and this treatment was also effective on self-efficacy and sleep disorders.

Improving the abilities and performance of nurses in time management, is one of the needs and necessities of improving human resources. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of time management training on the problematic use of the Internet and the quality of life in nursing students. 

In the present study, 105 nursing students at the Nursing and Midwifery Faculty of Mashhad-Iran, were selected using stratified sampling and they were assigned into two experimental (n= 58) and control group (n= 47). The experimental group, received the training in 2 four-hour sessions (time management) and 1 two-hour session (application training) during three consecutive weeks, while the control group was on the waiting list. Students completed the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire, Morehead and Griffin Standard Time Management Questionnaire, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (BREF-WHOQOL) in pre-test and post-test. Data were analyzed aiding independent t-test and Mann-Whitney U test, and SPSS version 16 software. 

The results showed that time management training was effective in reducing the problematic use of the Internet (P< 0.001), but it was not effective in improving the quality of life of students (P> 0.05). 

According to the results, the use of time management strategies plays an effective role in reducing the problematic use of the Internet in university students.

The use of cyberspace and social media has increased in recent years and has been applied to improve the health of people in society. A study was conducted to determine the attitude of people in Isfahan towards the use of these platforms in the field of dentistry.

This cross-sectional study involved 257 randomly selected participants from three groups based on age and education level in each of Isfahan's 15 districts. The questionnaire used in the study was divided into two parts: general information and attitude-related questions. To analyze the data, Student's t-test, Chi-square, Friedman, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used (α=0.05).

The study in Isfahan showed high use of cyberspace in dentistry, especially by women, young adults (16-35 years), and those with higher education. Users mainly seek dental information and select a dentist, with a significant relation to age (p<0.001), gender (p=0.048) and level of education (p=0.001) Positive online comments and reviews were more important for young adults (16-35years old )(p<0.001)  and have no significant relationship with gender and education (p>0.05).

In conclusion the people of Isfahan had a positive attitude towards using cyberspace and social media in. Age, gender, and level of education can affect the use of cyberspace for health training, and selection of type and place of treatment.

During the last decade, social media have affected people’s lives in an unprecedented way, today, different parts of people’s lives, from shopping to education, business, and electronic messages, are influenced by these media. In fact, social media have become an integral part of human life today, and in recent years this dependence has become even greater than before. Because following the spread of the COVID-19, people used social media more to work and study, to keep in touch with their loved ones, and to get information about Covid-19. The present study aimed to determine the positive and negative impact of social media in the Covid-19 pandemic.

The present study was a brief review designed. From 01 to 10 January 2022, the researchers of this study examined 6 international databases: Medline/PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and ISI Web of Science. After reviewing the titles and abstracts of the articles, 46 articles entered the next stage, in which the full text of the articles was reviewed.

Social media provides a space where health information is easily accessible to everyone. This capability is very efficient in global emergencies such as the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic so the use of social networks during the Covid-19 pandemic has increased significantly compared to previous data. In today’s world, social media has become a new field in business and marketing. With the involvement of social media in many aspects of life, we see its significant impact on various aspects of business, from brand development to guaranteeing buyer’s trust. 

Today, the role of social media in social communication, health, economy and other cultural fields is undeniable. However, it is important to consider the negative effects of these media. It seems that it is necessary that social media users be given the principal training before and during their use so that they do not become victims of its undesirable and unconscious effects.

Smartphone users frequently connect to the Internet via mobile data or Wi-Fi. Over the past two decades, the worldwide percentage of people who connect to the Internet using their mobile phones has increased drastically.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential link between mobile cellular data/ and Wi-Fi use and adverse health effects.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2,796 employees (52% female and 48% male) of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Shiraz, Iran. The sociodemographic data (e.g., gender, age, nationality, and education level) were collected for all the participants. They were also requested to provide information about their smartphone use including the characteristics of the connection to the Internet using their smartphones (mobile data and Wi-Fi). In addition, the participants’ history of diabetes, hypertension, cardiac ischemia, myocardial infarction, renal failure, fatty liver, hepatitis, chronic lung disease, thyroid disease, kidney stone, gall bladder stone, rheumatoid disease, epilepsy, and chronic headache was recorded through face-to-face interviews.

94% of people participating in this study reported using mobile/Wi-Fi internet. The mean (±SD) Internet usage per day was 117.85±122.70 minutes including 76±98 minutes of mobile data and 42±81 minutes of Wi-Fi use. 

Our findings showed no link between mobile phone Internet usage and the risk of the above-mentioned health problems. As in 2021, the global average daily time spent on the Internet using mobile phones was 155 minutes, the participants’ lower use time could explain the failure to show any detrimental effects. Considering the study limitations, further large-scale studies are warranted.

In late 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The SARS-COV-2 pandemic is causing psychological impacts such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Concerning this situation, improvement in internet-based mental health services is necessary. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Internet-based Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (IMBSR) with the Online Counseling Guidelines of the Ministry of Health (OCGMH) in the reduction of depression, anxiety, and stress during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic.

 A quasi-experimental study with a two-group randomized controlled, pretest-posttest questioner was designed. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 84 participants were enrolled in the study that had contact with Ferdowsi University of Mashhad's Psychology and Counseling Clinic through online networks to complain about anxiety and distress caused by the coronavirus. Data analysis was performed using Independent sample t-test. both internet-based interventions (i.e., IMBSR and OCGMH) were executed by clinical psychologists.

The mean scores for stress, anxiety, and depression were significantly improved after both internet interventions (i.e., IMBSR and OCGMH). Further analysis showed that stress and anxiety significantly decreased in the IMBSR group compared to the OCGMH group (P<0.05). however, participants in the OCGMH group had a lower score of the depression index than that of the IMBSR group (P<0.05).

To summarize, IMBSR intervention improved the stress and anxiety during the quarantine of SARS-COV-2. Together these results provide important insights into internet-based interventions during pandemic situations. As a suggestion, advances in internet-based mental health services are necessary during the quarantine of diseases.

The curious, unplanned, and aimlessly searches of students on the internet result in a type of addiction to the internet and can have negative effects on their academic performance. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cyberspace addiction on the academic performance of nursing and midwifery students.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 302 nursing and midwifery students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Data were collected online using the Internet Addiction Test and a cell phone addiction questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The statistical significance level was set at 0.05.

The average score of internet addiction was 44.61±12.77 (at a low level), and the average score of cell phone addiction was 51.46±14.59 (at a moderate level). There was a significant relationship between cell phone addiction and marital status (P=0.038) and age (P=0.011). The average score of internet addiction was significantly higher in dormitory students than in non-dormitory students (P = 0.011).

Considering the existence of cyberspace addiction among nursing and midwifery students, it is recommended to hold educational workshops to increase awareness about the consequences of this problem.

Focus group discussions are a well-established method for acquiring insights from experts in different fields. This method requires special amendments when it is used for the development of different tools in the healthcare domain. The objective of this paper is to present the lessons learned from online focus group sessions held for the development of a heuristic usability evaluation tool for mobile health applications.

Two online focus group sessions were conducted with the participation of ten medical informatics experts to develop the tool. The sessions were recorded using screen recording software. The comments provided by the experts were categorized, and the lessons learned from these sessions were identified and reported.

The experiences achieved from the online focus group sessions were categorized into the following ten lessons: 1) Engage the participants fully in online session discussions; 2) Use an appropriate and interesting format; 3) Select an appropriate number of people for online sessions; 4) Invite people having the closest expertise related to the research topic; 5) Employ a technical support technician in addition to the coordinator; 6) Prevent the emergence of a new topic in sessions; 7) Arrange the required hardware and software facilities before the session; 8) Prepare the content in an appropriate language; 9) Use online tools to schedule sessions; 10) Use screen-recording software.

This paper reports the lessons learned from holding online focus group sessions in the process of developing a heuristic usability evaluation tool for mobile health applications. Although these lessons were learned in a study focusing on the development of a usability tool, they can also be used to improve the results of focus group sessions in other fields of medical informatics.

Despite the concerns about using cell phones and internet on women's reproductive health, few studies have considered this issue, with most focusing on animal models. The present study was conducted to examine the effect of using cell phones and internet on miscarriage.

In this case-control study, a sample of 211 cases and 394 controls were selected through stratified random sampling from women referred to urban health centers in Zanjan in 2019. Data on telephone and internet use was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, while health records were collected using a checklist. Women with miscarriage history were chosen randomly as the case and women with a successful pregnancy history as the control.

  Considering the average internet use per hour, and with the effect of other variables remaining constant, the odds of miscarriage increased, and this association was borderline significant (OR=1.07, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.15, P=0.050). Meanwhile, for every hour of cell phone conversations during pregnancy, although the odds of miscarriage increased, but this association was not statistically significant (OR=1.12, 95% CI: 0.86, 1.45, P=0.380). Similarly, turning off cell phones at night decreased the odds of miscarriage, but this association was also not statistically significant (OR=0.97, 95% CI: 0.58, 1.61, P=0.380).

Although the effect of internet use on miscarriage was small and had borderline statistical significance, it appears reasonable to take preventive measures to reduce exposure to low-frequency electromagnetic waves by pregnant women.