JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Cell phone use brought convenience to people, but using phones for a long period of time or in the wrong way and with a wrong posture might cause damage to the human body.

Objective:

To assess the impact of improper cell phone use on accidents and chronic disorders to human.

Methods:

Studies were systematically searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science up to April 4, 2019 and relevant reviews were searched to identify additional studies. A random-effects model was used to estimate the overall pooled estimates.

Results:

Cell phone users were at a higher risk for accidents (RR: 1.37, 95%CI: 1.221.55), long-term use of cell phones increased the accidents risk to non-use or short-term use (RR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.63-2.70). Neoplasm risk caused by cell phone use was 1.07 times that of non-use (95% CI: 1.01-1.14); compared with non-use, cell phone use had a higher risk of eye disease, with a risk of 2.03 (95% CI: 1.27-3.23), the risk of mental disorders was 1.16 (95% CI: 1.02-1.32), the risk of headache was 1.25 (95% CI: 1.18-1.32), and a pooled risk of other chronic disorders was 1.20 (95% CI: 0.90-1.59). Subgroup analyses had also confirmed an increased risk of accidents and chronic disorders.

Conclusions:

Improper use of cell phones has a negative impact on the human body. While enjoying the convenience brought by cell phones, it is necessary to use cell phones correctly and reasonably.