Saúde na era digital: perfil de uso das redes sociais e os hábitos de vida de uma população adolescente.

Abstract

Introduction: New information technologies have become increasingly present in the daily lives of populations around the world. In an increasingly attractive environment, individuals have become hostages to the use of these technologies, being unable to completely disengage from them or without suffering a high level of stress in doing so, characterizing something defined as digital dependence. This situation directly interferes with the quality of life habits of a population. Objective: to identify the profile of the use of new technologies and the characterization of the life habits of adolescents in the state education system in the municipality of Cuité-PB. Methodology: This is an exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional and analytical research based on a quantitative design, carried out in the municipality of Cuité-PB, with adolescents in the state education system. An objective questionnaire divided into three parts was applied: sociodemographic and economic characterization, assessment of the profile of consumption of new technologies and profile of healthy habits. The interviews were conducted between August/2024 and February/2025 and 25 students participated in the research. The analyses were performed in R software, version 4.4.3 (R Studio 2024.12.1), using the rmdformats, dplyr, highcharcter and KableExtra packages, to obtain absolute and relative frequencies of the data researched. The recommendations of resolution 466/2012 of CEP/CONEP were followed and CAAE 80281524.7.0000.0154 was issued. Results and Discussion: The study shows a predominantly male population, with an average age between 11 and 15 years old, with a family income lower than the minimum wage. The profile and use of digital devices demonstrates a preference for the use of applications such as Instagram and TikTok, with reports of frequent use and difficulty in managing the time spent on the network. Lifestyle habits demonstrate a largely active population, with frequent physical activity practices, a satisfactory perception of well-being, but with a high consumption of processed foods, sweets and soft drinks. Conclusion: Young people demonstrate frequent use of social networks and difficulty in limiting the time spent using electronic devices, and associated with this, they make dietary choices that directly affect their health. Thus, it is understood that the excessive use of digital technologies, combined with socioeconomic and behavioral factors, negatively impacts the physical and mental health of young people. The importance of public policies, the promotion of healthy habits and the need for more studies on social inequalities, digital multitasking and eating habits are highlighted.