Prevalence of internet addiction in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aim

In the last two decades, the proportion of internet users has greatly increased worldwide. Data regarding internet addiction (IA) are lacking in Africa compared to other continents. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of IA in African countries.

Methods

We systematically sought relevant articles in PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane database published before September 25, 2021. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool, and we estimated the pooled prevalence of IA using a random-effects meta-analytic model. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines.

Results

We included 22 studies (13,365 participants), and collected

SUBMITTER: Endomba FT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9872524 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature