Electronic Screen Exposure and Headache in Children

Understanding public perceptions and discussions on diseases involving chronic pain through social media: cross-sectional infodemiology study

BACKGROUND

Chronic pain is a highly prevalent medical condition that negatively impacts quality of life and is associated with considerable functional disability. Certain diseases, such as fibromyalgia, headache, paraplegia, neuropathy, and multiple sclerosis, manifest with chronic pain.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to examine the number and type of tweets (original or retweet) related to chronic pain, as well as to analyze the emotions and compare the societal impact of the diseases under study.

METHODS

We investigated tweets posted between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022, by Twitter users in English and Spanish, as well as the generated retweets. Additionally, emotions were extracted from these tweets and their diffusion was analyzed. Furthermore, the topics most frequently discussed by users were collected.

RESULTS

A total of 72,874 tweets were analyzed, including 44,467 in English and 28,407 in Spanish. Paraplegia represented 23.3% with 16,461 of the classified tweets, followed by headache and fibromyalgia with 15,337 (21.7%) and 15,179 (21.5%) tweets, respectively. Multiple sclerosis generated 14,781 tweets (21%), and the fewest tweets were related to neuropathy with 8,830 tweets (12.5%). The results showed that the primary emotions extracted were "fear" and "sadness." Additionally, the reach and impact of these tweets were investigated through the generated retweets, with those related to headaches showing the highest interest and interaction among users.

CONCLUSION

Our results underscore the potential of leveraging social media for a better understanding of patients suffering from chronic pain and its impact on society. Among the most frequently encountered topics are those related to treatment, symptoms, or causes of the disease. Therefore, it is relevant to inform the patient to prevent misconceptions regarding their illness.

Prevalence and Determinants of Excessive Screen Viewing Time in Children Aged 3-15 Years and Its Effects on Physical Activity, Sleep, Eye Symptoms and Headache

Screen viewing time is the total time spent by a child on any digital/electronic device. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of excessive screen viewing time in children in Ujjain, India. This cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted through a house-to-house survey using the three-stage cluster sampling method in 36 urban wards and 36 villages of Ujjain District, India. Excessive screen viewing time was defined as screen viewing for >2 h/day. The prevalence of excessive screen viewing time was 18%. Risk factors identified using the multivariate logistic regression model were age (OR: 1.63, p < 0.001); mobile phone use before bedtime (OR: 3.35, p = 0.004); parents' perception about the child's habituation to screen time (OR: 8.46, p < 0.001); television in the bedroom (OR: 35.91, p < 0.001); morning mobile screen viewing time (OR: 6.40, p < 0.001); not reading books other than textbooks (OR: 6.45, p < 0.001); and lack of outdoor play for >2 h (OR: 5.17, p < 0.001). The presence of eye pain was a protective factor for excessive screen viewing time (OR: 0.13, p = 0.012). This study identified multiple modifiable risk factors for excessive screen viewing time.

The Use of Social Media in Children and Adolescents: Scoping Review on the Potential Risks

In recent years, social media has become part of our lives, even among children. From the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic period, media device and Internet access rapidly increased. Adolescents connected Internet alone, consulting social media, mostly Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. During "lockdown", the Internet usage allowed communication with peers and the continuity activities such as school teaching. However, we have to keep in mind that media usage may be related to some adverse consequences especially in the most vulnerable people, such as the young. Aim of the review is to focus on risks correlated to social media use by children and adolescents, identifying spies of rising problems and engaging in preventive recommendations. The scoping review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines, searching on PubMed the terms "social media" or "social network", "health", and "pediatrics". Excluding articles not pertinent, we found 68 reports. Out of them, 19 were dealing with depression, 15 with diet, and 15 with psychological problems, which appeared to be the most reported risk of social media use. Other identified associated problems were sleep, addiction, anxiety, sex related issues, behavioral problems, body image, physical activity, online grooming, sight, headache, and dental caries. Public and medical awareness must rise over this topic and new prevention measures must be found, starting with health practitioners, caregivers, and websites/application developers. Pediatricians should be aware of the risks associated to a problematic social media use for the young's health and identify sentinel signs in children as well as prevent negative outcomes in accordance with the family.

Headaches

Headaches are common in the pediatric population and can cause significant distress to the patient and their family. The ability of pediatricians to appropriately diagnose and differentiate headaches is important to guide management. This article reviews the epidemiology, classification, and treatment of headaches, including migraines. [Pediatr Ann. 2021;50(12):e479-e485].