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In today’s world, where almost anything goes and convenience is the mantra, one looks at how things are done. A major example is smartphone usage. So many times, I have been privy to conversations held in public that I would have rather not heard. Smartphone etiquette is a term that is in search of a meaning. People seem to use their smartphones everywhere.
To emphasize the word “everywhere,” researchers of the digestive disease department of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston asked some important questions of subjects as they were preparing to have their screening colonoscopy done.
Very delicately, these questions surveyed the research subject’s smartphone usage while using the toilet. Additionally, questions about fiber intake, straining, and physical activity were assessed, and the findings were remarkable.
Of the research participants, 66 percent reported using their smartphones while on the toilet. Of those who used their smartphone while on the toilet, 93 percent used their smartphones at least one to two times per week while using such facilities. While 55.4 percent of participants used their smartphones while they were not on the toilet.
The most common usage for the smartphone while on the toilet was reading the news at 54.3 percent, followed by “social media” at 44.4 percent, with emailing and texting at 30.5 percent.
The usage of the smartphone on the toilet was associated with spending significantly more time on the toilet. Researchers found that 37.3 percent of study participants spent six minutes longer on their smartphones while on the toilet than those study participants who did not practice such behavior. Only 7.1 percent of the non-smartphone users were at the six-minute mark on the toilet. Interestingly, 35 percent of study participants, who used their smartphones on the toilet, attributed that usage to their longer stays.
After adjustment for fiber intake, sex, weight and exercise activity, smartphone usage on the toilet was associated with a 46 percent increased risk for hemorrhoids as observed by direct visualization during the colonoscopy.
“Prolonged engagement with smartphones while using the toilet may be associated with an increased prevalence of hemorrhoids,” the authors wrote.
Enough said. Be careful about where and how long you use your smartphone. Sitting on the toilet is not an ideal place. Engaging in such an activity while using a smartphone may lead to the development of hemorrhoids. Watch out, Preparation H could just be a phone call away.
Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.
