Journal of North Khorasan

Abstract Background: nowadays usage of internet has been growing explosively in homes, schools, colledges, libraries. Its excessive use may lead to a phenomenon called "Internet addiction". The use of internet and the internet addiction increased among students and university students. This study was done with the purpose of determining the knowledge condition, attitude and addiction to internet among students of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences(NKUMS). Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 87 students of NKUMS were randomly selected. Data were collected through Young's questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information, reasons of using the internet, and addiction evaluation test. After receiving informed consents, the students completed the questionnaires. Then, data were analyzed by SPSS and presented with Pearson's correlation, t-test, and Spearman tests. The students were scored as normal (20-49), slightly addicted (50-79), or severely addicted (80-100). Findings: 87 students participated in the study, 33 male students and 54 female students, the mean time the students were using the internet to 3/9 ± 3/2 hours a day. The incidence of Internet addiction was established to be 20.7% among university students in this present study. Of those with Internet addiction, 8.6% were females and 12.1% were males. Conclusion: Based on our findings, the knowledge and attitude of the studied students are inadequate and the internet addiction behavior exists among them.Therefore, actions such as proper education using the Internet and gain information on the Internet is essential for parents and students.