The Impact of Internet Addiction on Academic Performance among Medical Students in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study and the Potential Role of Yoga

Background Excessive internet use is a growing concern globally, and internet addiction negatively impacts academic performance. Limited research has been conducted on this topic among undergraduate medical students in Bangladesh. Purpose This study aimed to determine the prevalence of internet addiction and its impact on academic performance among medical students in Bangladesh, with a focus on the role of Yoga in reducing internet addiction. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among third-year medical students in four colleges in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Simple random sampling techniques were used to select participants, and data were collected using pre-tested questionnaires and a checklist for office records through face-to-face interviews. SPSS version 25 was used for data processing and analysis. Results Out of 312 students, 84% were addicted to the internet, and only 16% were normal. 64.4% had good results in the first professional examination, while 35.6% had poor results. 85.9% had good attendance, while 14.1% had poor attendance. The association between internet addiction level and first professional examination results and class attendance was highly significant. Conclusion This study highlights the high prevalence and negative impacts of internet addiction among medical students in Bangladesh. The study suggests that promoting awareness about healthy technology use, establishing a better balance between internet usage and academic study, and encouraging the practice of Yoga can help alleviate this problem. Further research and interventions are needed to tackle this emerging public health issue. Encouraging students to use the internet for academic purposes and providing education and resources can help promote healthy technology use. Healthcare professionals should also be aware of the risks and encourage seeking help if needed. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Dhaka Medical College (DMC) gave ethical approval for this work. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors.