Author(s): FERNÁNDEZ SÁNCHEZ, J., GARCÍA-ORTIZ, C., TRUJILLO-COLMENA, D., RODRÍGUEZ-CASTAÑO, A., RANIERI, L.E., DEL COSO, J., LAVÍN-PÉREZ, A.M., COLLADO-MATEO, D., Institution: REY JUAN CARLOS UNIVERSITY, Country: SPAIN, Abstract-ID: 2634

Excessive smartphone and social network use are emerging public health concerns linked to poorer mental health. Other online behaviours, including gaming and gambling, also negatively affect psychological and physical well-being. University Students (US) may be particularly vulnerable due to academic demands, sedentary habits, and high digital exposure. Although Physical activity (PA) has been proposed as a protective factor, evidence remains inconsistent, with studies reporting both inverse and direct associations between PA and problematic technology use. Therefore, this study aimed to 1) compare PA levels and digital problematic use indicators between US and age-matched Vocational Training Students (VTS), 2) examine socioeconomic differences between these groups, 3) analyse associations between PA and digital problematic use, and 4) explore gender differences.

A cross-sectional, comparative, and correlational study was conducted with 257 Spanish adults enrolled in university (n=131, age=23±5 years) or vocational training programmes (n=126; age=20±3 years). Participants completed a questionnaire that included the following scales in their Spanish validated version: Smartphone Addiction Scale, Social Network Addiction Scale, Internet Gaming Disorder, Online Gambling Diagnostic Questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Socioeconomic status was also collected. Mann-Whitney U test for comparisons and the Spearman correlation test were performed.

US exhibited significantly lower levels of PA compared to VTS (p<.001). In addition, US reported significantly higher levels of Smartphone Problematic Use (SPU; p=.004) and Social Network Problematic Use (SNPU, p=.003). Conversely, US showed lower scores of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD; p=.002) and Problematic Online Gambling (POG; p=.002), as well as higher socioeconomic status (p=.002) compared to VTS. Across the total sample, PA was inversely correlated with SPU (p<.001) and SNPU (p=.002) scores, while it was positively correlated with POG (p=.006) scores. Additionally, participants classified as problematic users of smartphones and social networks demonstrated significantly lower levels of PA (p<.05) and self-esteem (p<.05). Regarding gender, women reported higher levels of SPU (p=.011) and SNPU (p<.001), whereas men showed higher levels of PA (p<.001), self-esteem (p=.002), IGD (p<.001) and POG (p<.001).

US appear to present lower PA and higher SPU and SNPU scores compared to VTS. Conversely, VTS seem to show higher IGD and POG scores, which might be partially related to their lower socioeconomic status. The inverse associations observed between PA and SPU-SNPU suggest that a more active lifestyle could be related to lower problematic technology use. Thus, promoting PA within university settings may represent a potentially beneficial strategy to encourage healthier behavioural patterns related to SPU and SNPU.