Prevalence of Smartphone Addiction and Sleep Irregularity Among Undergraduate Students in Gujarat, India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Smartphone use has become an essential part of students' academic and social lives. However, excessive smartphone use may lead to behavioural addiction and adversely affect sleep health. Although several studies have examined smartphone addiction and sleep quality, evidence on sleep regularity among undergraduate students in India remains limited. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of smartphone addiction and sleep irregularity among undergraduate students in Gujarat and examine the association between these variables.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 381 undergraduate students of a private university in Gujarat, India. Participants were selected using a stratified multistage cluster sampling technique. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire comprising socio-demographic characteristics, the Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version (SAS-SV), and the Sleep Regularity Questionnaire (SRQ). Descriptive statistics were used to estimate prevalence, while Pearson's Chi-square test was applied to assess the association between smartphone addiction and sleep regularity.
Results: Of the 381 participants, 49.6% exhibited moderate to severe smartphone addiction, while 47.0% demonstrated poor or very poor sleep regularity. Although students with higher smartphone addiction tended to report poorer sleep regularity, the association between smartphone addiction and sleep regularity was not statistically significant (p = 0.098).
Conclusion: Smartphone addiction and sleep irregularity were highly prevalent among undergraduate students. Although no statistically significant association was observed between these variables, the high prevalence of both conditions highlights the need for university-based interventions promoting responsible smartphone use, healthy sleep practices, and digital well-being. Further multicentre longitudinal studies are recommended to better understand the relationship between smartphone use and sleep health.

Smartphone addiction; Sleep regularity; Undergraduate students; Prevalence; Cross-sectional study; Gujarat.

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