| Learning Objective #1: To share our experience on school-based education program for adolescents | |||
| Learning Objective #2: To share and discuss health issues from internet game addiction among adolescents |
Methods: The subjects were 615 students in the 2nd graders (exp. = 315, control = 300) from six middle schools in G city. Education program was composed of 6-sessions: warming-up, what is internet? internet games & its addiction, internet etiquette, stress and personal time management. Study instrument to test internet games addiction was 5-point 25-items scale (á = .908) with five subcategories developed by Lee (2001) and that to test self-esteem was Korean version of 5-point 25-items scale (á = .755) with four subcategories developed by Cooper-smith (1967). Data were collected by self-reported from September 1 to October 15, 2005, and analyzed with frequency, percentage, ÷2-test, t-test, and ANOVA using SPSS-PC program,
Results: The subjects in 53.0% used internet and online games daily basis and 24.1% of them used three to four times per week. School-based health education program lowered the level of internet games addiction (t = -1.612, p = .027), and enhanced that of self-esteem (t = 2.905, p = .004) in experimental group relatively. Difference between experimental and control groups was also significant in internet games addiction (t = 2.625, p = .009) and in self-esteem (t = -7.222, p = .001).
Conclusion: Based on these findings, the authors recommend that school-based health education program should be implemented to reduce internet games addiction and to enhance self-esteem for adolescents, and started from lower graders or from primary school. School-based health education program can be synergized in collaboration with parents, multidisciplinary professionals and various institutions in community.
Key words: Internet game addiction, Self-esteem, Adolescents