Illicit drug use among university students has been recognized as a global public health issue in recent years. It may lead to poor academic performance that in turn leads to poor productivity in their later life. This study explores prevalence of and factors associated with illicit drug use among university students in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This multi-country cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. A multi-stage cluster sampling was used to select undergraduate students from one or two universities in each country for self-administered questionnaire survey. Multivariate logistic regression analyses was performed to explore risk factors related to illicit drug use. Participants included 7,923 students with a mean age of 20.6 years (SD = 2.8), ranging from 18–30 years. The overall prevalence of frequent (≥10 times), infrequent (1–9 times) and ever (at least once) illicit drug use in the past 12 months was 2.2, 14.7, and 16.9%, respectively. After adjustment, male students were significantly less likely to be infrequent (1–9 times vs. never), but significantly more likely to be ever users compared to females. Compared to those living with parents/guardians, students living away from parents/guardians were significantly less likely to be frequent (≥10 times vs. never) and infrequent users. Students from lower-middle-income countries were significantly more likely to be frequent and infrequent users, but significantly less likely to be ever users compared to those from upper-middle or high-income countries. Students with poor subjective health status were significantly more likely to be frequent users compared to those who reported good subjective health status. Students who reported binge drinking in the past month were significantly more likely to be infrequent users, but significantly less likely to be ever users. Our findings indicate that prevalence of illicit drug use among university students in the ASEAN region varied by country. Concerted social intervention programs should be designed to address related health and behavioral problems such as illicit drug use and alcohol drinking with particular emphasis on at-risk subgroups of this young population.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian Government enacted a study at home policy for all students. This policy also applied to preschool children aged 2 to 6 years old. The purpose of the research was to examine the duration and impact of digital media use by preschool children in urban areas in Indonesia during weekdays and weekends. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire called the Surveillance of digital-Media hAbits in earLy chiLdhood Questionnaire (SMALLQ^®). A total of 951 parents or guardians (17-70 years old) who had preschool children volunteered to complete the questionnaire online. Preschool children have been using screen media since infancy, and the time they spend on-screen time is more than 1 hour per day. The digital media most used were mobile phones (91.6%), followed by television (86.1%) and computers (61%). The parents realized the impact and the importance of limiting time of screen media, but it difficult to prevent their children from using it, especially when learning from home. Hence, there is a need different approach to learning from home, especially to manage the duration of screen time for preschool children.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Universitas Indonesia (UI) implemented a work from home program (WFH) to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as the use of gadgets including mobile phones and tablets were becoming prolonged and more frequent. As a result, musculoskeletal symptoms in certain limbs due to awkward posture sprang up. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantify the degree of the use of these devices among UI community during the WFH initiative, as well as to identify musculoskeletal complaints resulting from defective postures. Consequently, this cross-sectional survey employed an online-based questionnaire, and the minimum number of respondents was 1080, as calculated using Slovin Formula. Meanwhile, a total of 1083 individuals, including lecturers (118), students (709), and managerial staff (256), obtained from 14 faculties, three schools, as well as administrative centres, volunteered to respond to the online poll. Apparently, 95% of the scholars owned mobile phones while only 16% possessed tablets, and 56% had used phones for over 10 years. The typical posture when using mobile devices was a reclining position on a sofa or mattress for a duration of 1–3 h as recounted by 34.6%. Also, sitting at a table for less than 30 min was reported by 25.3% of the subjects who used tablets. Furthermore, 70.5% of the respondents complained of musculoskeletal discomfort, particularly in the neck (86.4%), lower back (75.9%), and right & left shoulders (76.2%). In addition, the postures significantly related to these grievances included sitting at a table, alongside a prone position whilst using a mobile phone, as well as a latent or floor-sitting posture when using a laptop, whether at a table or not. Therefore, it is essential to do stretching, limiting usage time, look away every 20 min at an object that is about 20 feet away for a full 20 s when using a gadget and having adequate rest time to reduce musculoskeletal complaints.

Analysis of Ergonomic Risk Factors in Relation to Musculoskeletal Disorder Symptoms in Office Workers

This comparative–descriptive multi-national research examined the screen time and playtime of preschool children aged 1–6 years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents reported on the play and screen habits of preschool-aged children on the weekday and weekends using a questionnaire on the lifestyle habits of their children. Results indicated a significant difference in screen time and playtime on the weekday and weekend before the pandemic (screen time: 1.91 ± 2.40 vs. 2.16 ± 2.60 h; playtime: 3.55 ± 2.49 vs. 4.11 ± 2.58 h, both p < 0.05), but during the COVID-19 pandemic, only the weekday–weekend difference in screen time was significantly different (screen time: 2.87 ± 3.15 vs. 3.26 ± 3.18 h, p < 0.05; playtime: 3.25 ± 3.41 vs. 3.48 ± 2.41, p > 0.05). Before- and during-COVID-19 comparisons showed that the average daily screen time increased by 150% from 2.04 h to 3.06 h (p < 0.05), while the average play time decreased by 12.3% (3.83 to 3.36 h, p < 0.05). Based upon international guidelines for movement behaviours of young children, special attention and actions are needed to manage the excessive daily screen time and preserve the average daily playtime of Javanese preschool children. These results present useful benchmarking data for parents, teachers, and health authorities to initiate ameliorative interventions to better balance children’s screen time and playtime as Indonesia emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic to a COVID-19 endemic.

There is an increasing trend of awkward postures due to smartphone use among students learning from home. Previous research in several countries has shown that the use of smartphones during a pandemic impacts musculoskeletal complaints. This study aimed to determine the postures performed by the students when using mobile phones and their implications for musculoskeletal complaints. A total of 709 students who learned from home voluntarily completed an online questionnaire regarding identity, work posture, and duration, while muscle and bone complaints experienced when using mobile phones were obtained through the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Furthermore, a bivariate analysis of body postures was carried out to identify perceived complaints using the chi-square method. The results showed a significant relationship between standing and leaning on a table posture ( p-value: 0.026) with elbow, knee, and ankle complaints.