14 DAY TRIAL // According to a new scientific study, the use of electronic media is not directly linked to the increase incidence of headaches that children, adolescents and teens experience today. The investigation revolved around youngsters, because they are most likely to get affected if these devices were to pose any harm. The study analyzed the influence that such devices as television sets, computer games and mobile phones have on children's incidence of headaches and migraines, and determined that no clear correlation could be established, PhysOrg reports.
“Excessive use of electronic media is often reported to be associated with long-lasting adverse effects on health like obesity or lack of regular exercise, or unspecific symptoms like tiredness, stress, concentration difficulties and sleep disturbances. Studies into the occurrence of headaches have had mixed results and for some types of media, in particular computer games, are completely lacking,” says expert Astrid Milde-Busch, who is based at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, in Germany.
She and a group of colleagues worked together towards establishing the links between the prevalence and type of headaches and exposure to electronic devices. The work was conducted on more than 1025 children, all aged between 13 and 17. The group published its results in the latest issue of the respected, open access scientific journal BMC Neurology, in a paper entitled “The association between use of electronic media and prevalence of headache in adolescents: results from a population-based cross-sectional study.”
The team conducted individual interviews with about 489 teenagers who claimed that they had suffered from headaches or migraines. The results obtained were controlled through interviews with 536 individuals who reported experiencing no such distress. When the team cross-referenced the two groups for exposure to television viewing, electronic gaming, mobile phone usage or computer usage, they were unable to find any statistically-significant correlation. A link was discovered, however, between listening to music and headaches.
Still, the researchers say that they are unsure as to which causes which. “It cannot be concluded whether the habit of listening to music is the cause of frequent headaches, or the consequence in the sense a self-therapy by relaxation,” Milde-Busch concludes.