Time Spent on the Internet, Blood Pressure, and Loneliness in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among the time spent on the internet, blood pressure values, and loneliness levels in adolescents. Materials and Methods: The study was planned with an analytical cross-sectional approach in the Manisa province, Turkey. The study was conducted in five high schools in a Turkish city in 2016. The study was carried out with 686 high school students in the Manisa province, Turkey. Data collection tools used in the study were "personal information form", "height and blood pressure measurement form", and "UCLA loneliness scale." Results: According to this study, 34.4% of participants were found to be excessively spending their time on the internet. The prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension in adolescents was found to be 10.3% and 5.4%, respectively. There was no relationship between the time spent on the internet and blood pressure levels of adolescents (p=0.751). However, there is a relationship between the time spent on the internet and loneliness levels of adolescents (p=0.041). Conclusion: Particularly, integrating these dimensions of adolescent health into school guidance and psychological counseling units and primary health care services is considered to be important.