Prevalence and factors associated with digital addiction among students taking university entrance tests: a GIS-based study.

BACKGROUND: The surge in digital media consumption, coupled with the ensuing consequences of digital addiction, has witnessed a rapid increase, particularly after the initiation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite some studies exploring specific technological addictions, such as internet or social media addiction, in Bangladesh, there is a noticeable gap in research focusing on digital addiction in a broader context. Thus, this study aims to investigate digital addiction among students taking the university entrance test, examining its prevalence, contributing factors, and geographical distribution using GIS techniques. METHODS: Data from a cross-sectional survey were collected from a total of 2,157 students who were taking the university entrance test at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. A convenience sampling method was applied for data collection using a structured questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 25 Version and AMOS 23 Version, whereas ArcGIS 10.8 Version was used for the geographical distribution of digital addiction. RESULTS: The prevalence of digital addiction was 33.1% (mean score: 16.05 ± 5.58). Those students who are attempting the test for a second time were more likely to be addicted (42.7% vs. 39.1%), but the difference was not statistically significant. Besides, the potential factors predicted for digital addiction were student status, satisfaction with previous mock tests, average monthly expenditure during the admission test preparation, and depression. No significant difference was found between digital addiction and districts. However, digital addiction was higher in the districts of Manikganj, Rajbari, Shariatpur, and Chittagong Hill Tract areas, including Rangamati, and Bandarban. CONCLUSIONS: The study emphasizes the pressing need for collaborative efforts involving educational policymakers, institutions, and parents to address the growing digital addiction among university-bound students. The recommendations focus on promoting alternative activities, enhancing digital literacy, and imposing restrictions on digital device use, which are crucial steps toward fostering a healthier digital environment and balanced relationship with technology for students.

Analyzing the Impact of Demographic Variables on Spreading and Forecasting COVID-19.

The aim of this study is to analyse the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Bangladesh. This study investigates the impact of demographic variables on the spread of COVID-19 as well as tries to forecast the COVID-19 infected numbers. First of all, this study uses Fisher's Exact test to investigate the association between the infected groups of COVID-19 and demographical variables. Second, it exploits the ANOVA test to examine significant difference in the mean infected number of COVID-19 cases across the population density, literacy rate, and regions/divisions in Bangladesh. Third, this research predicts the number of infected cases in the epidemic peak region of Bangladesh for the year 2021. As a result, from the Fisher's Exact test, we find a very strong significant association between the population density groups and infected groups of COVID-19. And, from the ANOVA test, we observe a significant difference in the mean infected number of COVID-19 cases across the five different population density groups. Besides, the prediction model shows that the cumulative number of infected cases would be raised to around 500,000 in the most densely region of Bangladesh, Dhaka division.