Cell Phones and Health Relations

Reason(s) for Selecting Topic

Since cell phones are highly widespread, with over 5 billion individuals worldwide using them, there is a need for research on the likely health effects of their usage. The purpose of this study is to explain the adverse effects of cell phones on people’s health as a way of laying a suitable foundation for the development of effective interventions to address the problem amicably. Cell phones interlink with base stations via radiofrequency (RF) energy. High RF radiation results in thermal variations, which insinuates a rise in the user’s body temperature. Additionally, there are alarms that minimal degrees of RF radiation from cell phones might result in health effects that encompass brain tumors and headaches. The blue light released by mobile phones may lead to negative effects such as eye-straining and aching (Dongre et al., 2017). Attributable to the ubiquitous scope of the cell phone, it is crucial to comprehend its effects on the users’ well-being and the impact of having the gadget withdrawn from regular users.

Research Question and Thesis Statement

Do the forms of wavelength from cell phones cause health problems among their users? Why were cell phones not used by many people in the past compared with contemporary times? Have technological advancements resulted in cell phones being relatively affordable and readily accessible to more than 80% of people worldwide? Which are the best interventions for preventing negative health effects caused by cell phones (Gupta et al., 2016)? Thesis statement: The use of cell phones should be regulated since they are significant in the daily operations of individuals but pose severe effects on their health.

Main Areas of Investigation

The use of cell phones has generated tremendous non-drug dependence in the twenty-first century. Its continued use is frequently causing severe health problems such as nomophobia, which is the modern dread of the inability to communicate through cell phones. Dongre et al. (2017) examine the dependence patterns, nomophobia prevalence, and health impacts of cell phone usage. The prevalence of nomophobia stood at 68.92%, while males exhibited a higher dependence level (82.91%) on cell phones than females (31.25%). The increased mobile phone usage leads to a lack of sleep, which affects a person’s lifestyle and mental stability.

Many of the people suffering the harmful health consequences of mobile phone usage are teenagers and youth. Since deterrence is better than treatment, successful health education policies should target the youth for the prevention and proper tackling of harmful impacts of cell phones. Effective treatment should comprise all stakeholders and identify the rising inclinations and the underlying health effects of the inappropriate use of cell phones, mainly among teenagers (Melnick, 2019). The authors assessed the students’ mobile phone use patterns and the associated adverse impacts on sleep, mental health, and academic performance, primarily in a medical university.

Summary of Findings

Cell phones have become an omnipresent device in people’s daily lives. After their development, cell phones were widely used as merely communication gadgets. In contemporary times, their usability has assured enhanced social connectivity, decreased loneliness, and reinforced safety in an emergency occurrence (Dongre et al., 2017). Nevertheless, the increased use of this communication technology has come with harmful effects. The researchers concluded that although cell phones positively influenced people’s daily lives, their overuse presented adverse effects on sleep, psychological health, and students’ academic performance. Increased usage and accessibility of smartphones have enabled the intensified development of applications that only worsen the existing addiction and health problems.

Constant application and addiction to smartphones have had a detrimental impact on the users’ physical, social, and psychological facets. Excessive cell phone usage has been linked to health problems that include headache, strain, loss of concentration, fatigue, sleep disorder, dizziness, and depression emanating from prolonged use and frustration. Effective therapy should help the audience visualize alternative ways to use smartphone applications to gain vital insights into health issues (McKay et al., 2018). Instead of users spending much time on unhelpful social media platforms, which corrupt their morals, they can access apps that inform them about their wellness, among other life and educational topics. The effects on smartphones on users’ overall health should be thoroughly understood to develop effective interventions.

Counterpoints/Alternative Perspectives

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency clarifies the connection between mobile phone use and serious health hazards. There have been reports of a link between cell phone radiations and cancer cells in the recent past. Although FDA agrees that mobile phones emit specific radiofrequency energy, the organization insists that such radiations are non-ionizing. As a result, the FDA concludes that cell phone radiation does not pose a serious health threat to humans, and existing public health data confirm this assertion. It would be essential to examine all articles’ claims and identify verifiable facts while noting aspects requiring further investigation.

Annotated Bibliography

Dongre, A. S., Inamdar, I. F., & Gattani, P. L. (2017). Nomophobia: A study to evaluate mobile phone dependence and impact of cell phone on health. National Journal of Community Medicine, 8(11), 688-693. Web.

Gupta, N., Garg, S., & Arora, K. (2016). Pattern of mobile phone usage and its effects on psychological health, sleep, and academic performance in students of a medical university. National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy, and Pharmacology, 6(2), 132-139. Web.

McKay, F. H., Cheng, C., Wright, A., Shill, J., Stephens, H., & Uccellini, M. (2018). Evaluating mobile phone applications for health behaviour change: A systematic review. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 24(1), 22-30. Web.

Melnick, R. L. (2019). Commentary on the utility of the National Toxicology Program study on cell phone radiofrequency radiation data for assessing human health risks despite unfounded criticisms aimed at minimizing the findings of adverse health effects. Environmental Research, 168, 1-6. Web.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2020). Do cell phones pose a health hazard? Web.

Research Spotlight

McKay, F. H., Cheng, C., Wright, A., Shill, J., Stephens, H., & Uccellini, M. (2018). Evaluating mobile phone applications for health behavior change: A systematic review. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 24(1), 22-30. Web.

The article by McKay et al. (2018) is relevant to my topic because it helps the audience visualize alternative ways to use smartphone applications to gain vital insights into health issues. Instead of users spending much time on unhelpful social media platforms, which corrupt their morals, they can access apps that inform them about their wellness, among other life and educational topics. Consequently, I intend to use this source to describe different ways cell phones may help improve health, and most importantly, promote the eight dimensions of wellness.