Reflections of digital slavery in physical inactivity: Examining gender-based physical activity attitudes and smartphone addiction among university students

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the gender-based physical activity attitudes of university students according to their smartphone addiction levels. Methods: The study was designed using a relational screening model. One thousand twenty-one university students participated in the study voluntarily and data were collected using an online survey method. In addition to the demographic characteristics of the participants, the Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Form and the Cognitive Behavioral Physical Activity Scale were used in the study. Data were analyzed using the SPSS package program. Hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analyses were applied to determine the participants’ smartphone addiction levels, and differences in physical activity attitudes according to gender and smartphone addiction level were tested with Univariate Analysis of Variance. Results: A significant difference was found in participants’ physical activity attitudes according to their smartphone addiction levels (p = 0.001). Individuals with low smartphone addiction had higher physical activity attitude scores than those with moderate and high addiction levels. Regarding gender, men had significantly higher physical activity attitude scores than women (p = 0.001). However, the interaction between gender and smartphone addiction was found to have no significant effect on physical activity attitudes (p = 0.053). Conclusion: It was observed that attitudes toward physical activity decreased as smartphone addiction levels increased. This suggests that smartphone addiction negatively impacts young people’s active lifestyle habits and increases their tendency toward sedentary behavior. By demonstrating the effects of digital addiction on attitudes toward physical activity, the study provides important findings regarding the sustainability of young people’s healthy lifestyle habits.