The purpose of the current study was to examine the risk factors of young children’s smartphone addiction in a longitudinal study design. Data collected from 313 participants (mean age, 4.5 ± 0.82 years; male, 49.8%) over 4 years for Kids Cohort for Understanding of Internet Addiction Risk Factors in Early Childhood were analyzed in this study. Mixed effect models were used to evaluate the influence of various variables on the repeated measures of smartphone addiction tendency in young children over time. The multi-level analysis showed that parents’ lack of control over children’s smartphone use (t = −4.523; 95% confidence interval [CI], −7.32, −1.72), and parents’ higher smartphone addiction proneness (t = 6.340;95% CI, 0.23, 0.440) predicted higher smartphone addiction tendency in young children.The responsibility of the parents to prevent their children from becoming addicted to smartphones should start in a very early age when they start using the smartphones.

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine relationships between nurse staffing level and postsurgical patient outcomes using inpatient database from the National Health Insurance. METHODS: Records of 111,491 patients who received one of 12 types of surgery between January and December, 2009 were identified and analyzed in this study. Nurse staffing level was measured using adjusted nurse staffing grades from 0 to 7. Patient outcomes were defined as in-hospital mortality, or pneumonia, sepsis, or urinary tract infection after surgery. Logistic regression analyses estimated by Generalized Estimation Model, were used to analyze the association between nurse staffing level and patient outcomes. RESULTS: An inverse relationship was found between nurse staffing and patient mortality. Compared with patients who were cared for in hospitals with the highest nurse staffing (Grades 0-1), increases in the odds of dying were found in those with Grades 6-7 [OR (odds ratio)=2.99, 95% CI (confidence interval)=1.94-4.60], those with Grades 4-5 (OR=1.78, 95% CI=1.24-2.57) and those with Grades 2-3 (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.25-1.98). Lower nurse staffing level was also associated with higher number of cases in pneumonia and sepsis. CONCLUSION: Policies for providing adequate nurse staffing is required to enhance quality of care and lead to better perioperative patient outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; *Hospital Mortality ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*supply & distribution ; Odds Ratio ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Pneumonia/etiology/*mortality ; Sepsis/etiology/*mortality ; Severity of Illness Index ; Surgical Procedures, Operative/adverse effects ; Urinary Tract Infections/etiology/*mortality

Objective: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly altered daily life, potentially impacting children’s digital media usage. This study investigates changes in smart device usage among children in South Korea, considering the pandemic’s effects. Methods: A longitudinal analysis was conducted on a cohort of 313 children aged 8–11 years from 2018 to 2021. The study measured weekly usage of personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, and smartphones, comparing pre-pandemic (up to 2020) and post-pandemic periods. Partial correlation analysis was employed to assess the impact of COVID-19, controlling for covariates such as age, household income, and parental education. Results: The analysis revealed a significant increase in smart device usage time following the onset of the pandemic. This increase remained statistically significant even after accounting for covariates. Notably, both age and maternal education level were significant factors influencing device usage. Conclusion This study demonstrates a significant shift in the digital behavior of children aged 8–11 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in smart device usage underscores the pandemic’s far-reaching impact on children’s daily routines and suggests a need for further research into its long-term effects. The findings highlight the importance of considering external societal changes when analyzing trends in digital media usage among children.

Objective: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly altered daily life, potentially impacting children’s digital media usage. This study investigates changes in smart device usage among children in South Korea, considering the pandemic’s effects. Methods: A longitudinal analysis was conducted on a cohort of 313 children aged 8–11 years from 2018 to 2021. The study measured weekly usage of personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, and smartphones, comparing pre-pandemic (up to 2020) and post-pandemic periods. Partial correlation analysis was employed to assess the impact of COVID-19, controlling for covariates such as age, household income, and parental education. Results: The analysis revealed a significant increase in smart device usage time following the onset of the pandemic. This increase remained statistically significant even after accounting for covariates. Notably, both age and maternal education level were significant factors influencing device usage. Conclusion This study demonstrates a significant shift in the digital behavior of children aged 8–11 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in smart device usage underscores the pandemic’s far-reaching impact on children’s daily routines and suggests a need for further research into its long-term effects. The findings highlight the importance of considering external societal changes when analyzing trends in digital media usage among children.

Objective: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly altered daily life, potentially impacting children’s digital media usage. This study investigates changes in smart device usage among children in South Korea, considering the pandemic’s effects. Methods: A longitudinal analysis was conducted on a cohort of 313 children aged 8–11 years from 2018 to 2021. The study measured weekly usage of personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, and smartphones, comparing pre-pandemic (up to 2020) and post-pandemic periods. Partial correlation analysis was employed to assess the impact of COVID-19, controlling for covariates such as age, household income, and parental education. Results: The analysis revealed a significant increase in smart device usage time following the onset of the pandemic. This increase remained statistically significant even after accounting for covariates. Notably, both age and maternal education level were significant factors influencing device usage. Conclusion This study demonstrates a significant shift in the digital behavior of children aged 8–11 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in smart device usage underscores the pandemic’s far-reaching impact on children’s daily routines and suggests a need for further research into its long-term effects. The findings highlight the importance of considering external societal changes when analyzing trends in digital media usage among children.

Objective: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly altered daily life, potentially impacting children’s digital media usage. This study investigates changes in smart device usage among children in South Korea, considering the pandemic’s effects. Methods: A longitudinal analysis was conducted on a cohort of 313 children aged 8–11 years from 2018 to 2021. The study measured weekly usage of personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, and smartphones, comparing pre-pandemic (up to 2020) and post-pandemic periods. Partial correlation analysis was employed to assess the impact of COVID-19, controlling for covariates such as age, household income, and parental education. Results: The analysis revealed a significant increase in smart device usage time following the onset of the pandemic. This increase remained statistically significant even after accounting for covariates. Notably, both age and maternal education level were significant factors influencing device usage. Conclusion This study demonstrates a significant shift in the digital behavior of children aged 8–11 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in smart device usage underscores the pandemic’s far-reaching impact on children’s daily routines and suggests a need for further research into its long-term effects. The findings highlight the importance of considering external societal changes when analyzing trends in digital media usage among children.

Objective: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly altered daily life, potentially impacting children’s digital media usage. This study investigates changes in smart device usage among children in South Korea, considering the pandemic’s effects. Methods: A longitudinal analysis was conducted on a cohort of 313 children aged 8–11 years from 2018 to 2021. The study measured weekly usage of personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, and smartphones, comparing pre-pandemic (up to 2020) and post-pandemic periods. Partial correlation analysis was employed to assess the impact of COVID-19, controlling for covariates such as age, household income, and parental education. Results: The analysis revealed a significant increase in smart device usage time following the onset of the pandemic. This increase remained statistically significant even after accounting for covariates. Notably, both age and maternal education level were significant factors influencing device usage. Conclusion This study demonstrates a significant shift in the digital behavior of children aged 8–11 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in smart device usage underscores the pandemic’s far-reaching impact on children’s daily routines and suggests a need for further research into its long-term effects. The findings highlight the importance of considering external societal changes when analyzing trends in digital media usage among children.

OBJECTIVE: These days, young children are exposed to a wide range of smart devices and their usage of smart devices is rapidly increasing worldwide. However, the use of smart devices by young children has not been studied in detail yet because smart device is relatively recent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the exposure status of smart devices among 2–5 years old children in Korea. METHODS: Four hundred parents of 2- to 5-year-old children were invited to enroll. Data on demographic information and the frequency of media use, time of media use, age at first use of media was self-reported. RESULTS: Among 390 toddlers, 39.3% watched TV almost every day, while 12.0% of children used smartphone on a daily basis. During weekdays, 48% of the children watched TV for over an hour. On weekends, 63.1% of the children watched TV for over an hour. On weekends, 23.4% of children use their smartphones for over an hour. Children using smartphones before 24 months of age were 31.3%. CONCLUSION: Research has shown that TV and smartphones are the most popular digital devices used by toddlers. Most toddlers began using smart devices at 12–24 months. This study provides comprehensive information on children’s contemporary use of media.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Korea ; Parents ; Smartphone

BACKGROUND: It is known that there are various factors associated with children's screen overuse. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of maternal depression on 2–5-year-old children's overuse of various household screen devices. METHODS: Participants were from the Internet-Cohort for Understanding of internet addiction Risk factors/Rescue in Early livelihood (I-CURE) study, an observational prospective cohort study in Korea. Screen time for six types of screen devices (smartphone, television, computer, tablet, video gaming console, and portable gaming console) were assessed by parental questionnaire. Maternal depression was measured by the Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory II. Logistic regression models were run to determine the association between maternal depression and children's screen overuse. RESULTS: Maternal depression was associated with children's television overuse after adjusting for other factors (odds ratio, 1.954; P = 0.034). Contrary to expectation, the relationship between maternal depression and screen time was not present on other devices such as smartphones, computers and tablets. CONCLUSION: Maternal depression is related with 2–5-year-old children's television overuse. Interventions in maternal depressive symptoms and the associated changes in parent-child relationship can be useful for preventing children's television overuse.
Cohort Studies ; Computers, Handheld ; Depression* ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Internet ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Parent-Child Relations ; Parents ; Prospective Studies ; Smartphone ; Tablets ; Television

Objectives: This study identified the association between excessive exposure to screen media and behavioral and emotional problems in elementary school students. Methods: A total of 331 parents of children aged 7–10 years were recruited from “The Kids Cohort for Understanding of Internet Addiction Risk Factors in Early Childhood (K-CURE)” study. Children’s demographics, household media ownership, screen time, and behavioral/emotional problems were assessed using a parental questionnaire. Children’s behavior/emotional problems were measured using the Korean version the of Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL) score. Results: The total K-CBCL score in the screen overuse group was 51.18±9.55, significantly higher than 47.28±10.09 in the control group (t=2.14, p=0.05). For each subscale, the externalization score (51.65±10.14, 48.33±8.97, respectively; t=2.02, p<0.05), social problem score (55.41±6.11, 53.24±5.19, respectively; t=2.27, p<0.05), and rule breaking behavior score (55.71±6.11, 53.24±5.19, respectively; t=2.27, p<0.05) were significantly higher in the screen overuse group than in the control group. In addition, the screen overuse group also had a significantly higher usage rate than the control group, even if limited to smartphones, not only on weekdays (3.56±2.08, 1.87±2.02, respectively; t=-4.597, p<0.001) but also weekends (1.62±0.74, 1.19±0.83, respectively; t=-3.14, p=0.003). Conclusion The study suggested that screen media overuse patterns in children in Korea are particularly relevant to the excessive use of smartphones and are related to higher risks of emotional and behavioral problems.