INTRODUCTION: Lockdowns and quarantine measures during the pandemic have led to increased media consumption among students worldwide. This study aimed to determine the association between the status of the psychological well-being of medical students in a private tertiary institution and social media use during the pandemic. METHODS: This is cross-sectional analytical study which included medical students in a private tertiary institution. SONTUS was used to measure social media usage, while Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well- Being was used to assess the psychological well-being. PRR and Chi-square test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: There were 317 respondents in the study. Based on the results of SONTUS, there are 114 respondents who have high usage. For the Ryff’s scale, there were 76 respondents who have low well- being scores. The computed Pearson Chi-square has an associated probability (p-value) of 0.855 which is more than the set significance level of 0.05. For the PRR, the computed value was 1.04. CONCLUSION There was no association found between the psychological well-being status of medical students in a private tertiary institution and social media use during the pandemic.
social media use ; well-being ; pandemic

OBJECTIVES: Smoking is a significant public health issue in Bangladesh. The purpose of this study was to examine peer smoking and smoking-related beliefs among college students in Bangladesh. METHODS: College students at two universities in Dhaka, Bangladesh participated in a self-administered survey in May and June 2017. RESULTS: First, being a current or former smoker is associated with lower levels of beliefs among respondents that they would not smoke even with smoker friends or nervousness, and lower levels of intentions that they would not smoke, while current smokers and former smokers have different smoking-related beliefs. Second, having smoker friends is associated with lower levels of intentions that they would not smoke. Third, higher levels of normative beliefs that it is important not to smoke are associated with higher levels of beliefs that they would not smoke even with smoker friends or nervousness, higher levels of intentions that they would not smoke, and higher levels of avoidance of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking-related beliefs and perceived norms in individuals’ social networks are important components in promoting tobacco cessation in Bangladesh. But it is challenging to prevent or intervene in smoking because of the high rates of smoking in this country and the high prevalence of smokers in individuals’ social networks. Future studies should examine the most effective interventions to combat smoking in high-smoking social networks, such as using mobile apps or social media, and evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions.
Anxiety ; Bangladesh ; Friends ; Humans ; Intention ; Mobile Applications ; Peer Influence ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Social Media ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tobacco Use Cessation

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) entered into effect in 2005 and has been ratified by 181 parties. The major tobacco control policies included in the FCTC are increased tobacco taxes; smoke-free public places; bans on tobacco advertisements, promotion, and sponsorship; regulations of tobacco packaging and labeling; regulations and disclosure of tobacco component and emissions; public awareness campaigns about the adverse health effects of tobacco use; treatment of tobacco use and dependence; and bans on tobacco sales to minors. Since the FCTC was ratified, tobacco control policies have been strengthened worldwide, but with different effects for different policies. A high level of performance was achieved in 55% of the signatory countries for warnings about the hazards of tobacco and in 30% for monitoring tobacco control policies, but tobacco tax increases, smoke-free polices, and bans on tobacco advertisement, promotion, and sponsorship achieved high levels of success in only about 10% of the countries. Korea recently strengthened some tobacco control policies, including tobacco tax increases, mass media campaigns, pictorial warnings on tobacco packs, smoke-free bars and restaurants, and reimbursement for smoking cessation services provided by health care facilities. However, the price of cigarettes remains very low considering the nation's income level, and tobacco advertisements, promotion, and sponsorship are only partially restricted. Workplace smoke-free policies are limited to large companies. Only monitoring of tobacco control policies and smoking cessation services are at a high level in Korea. Comprehensive tobacco control polices need to be strengthened, and physicians should play a leading role.
Commerce ; Delivery of Health Care ; Disclosure ; International Cooperation ; Korea ; Mass Media ; Product Packaging ; Restaurants ; Smoke-Free Policy ; Smoking Cessation ; Social Control, Formal ; Taxes ; Tobacco Products ; Tobacco Use ; Tobacco