Exploring the Pattern of Social Media Usage by Medical Students in School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University
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Date
2019-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Even though millions of the younger generations are using social media (SM) for various purposes in Ethiopia, there is no clear study showing how the trends and patterns of SM usage look like in this group of people, particularly in medical schools. Therefore, the global objective of the current study was to explore the pattern of usage of SM by medical students in school of medicine, College of Health Sciences, AddisAbaba University. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted on four cohorts (Year II, Year III, Year IV and Year V)of study subjects. Simple random sampling technique was applied to determine the proposed sample size. Totally, 132 students were recruited from each cohort; thus a total of 528 students were included in the study. Using pre-tested anonymous questionnaire, information was collected on sociode mographics, the extent of using the SM, the type of SM used, average time spent on them, the purpose why the students use SM, the influence of these media onsocial interaction of students and students opinions regarding the effect of SM on their grades and academic performance. The questionnaire was tabulated and data was analyzed by using descriptive, inferential and quantitative analytical techniques with
estimations from the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). A correlation of the variables was determined and X2 was used to compare the relationship of the variables. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
There were 38.1% (N=201) females and 61.9% (N=327) males included in this study. Almost all students, irrespective of background were active users of SM (99.6%,N=526). Facebook was the dominant SM used by students before joining medical school (82%, N=433), followed by You Tube and Whatsapp. The number of Facebook users has been declined significantly from 82% to 47% after joining medical school. The dominancy of Facebook was over taken by Telegram after joining medical school. The use of Telegram has significantly increased from 18% (N=495) to (82%, N=433) after
joining medical school. The proportions of You Tube users has increased significantly from 31% (N=165) to 52% (N=275) after joining medical school. We show for the first time that majority (70%, N=379) of medical students were distracted by SM while preparing for exam and doing their assignments. The distraction of medical students by SM while studying for examination and preparing assignments is significantly higher in males than females. The implications of this finding is triplicate: 1) The need for orientation for medical students at the beginning of the first year, 2) Continuous and intimate follow up is needed by family, Deans and advisers, 3) Special policy is also needed concerning the use of SM by medical students. Continuous personal development trainings might be important to clear out the confusion of medical students about the impact of SM.
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Keywords
Social Media,Medical Students