Engaging in physical activity instead of (over)using the smartphone: An experimental investigation of lifestyle interventions to prevent problematic smartphone use and to promote mental health

Abstract

Aim Tendencies of problematic smartphone use (PSU) have risen during the past decade. As PSU is consistently linked to mental health issues, measures to prevent its appearance and to promote mental health are urgently required. Subject and Methods The present study investigated the impact of three interventions on health behavior, PSU, positive mental health (PMH), and depression and anxiety symptoms. Overall, 503 persons from Germany (Mage = 29.19, SDage = 10.51, range: 18–79) participated in the study. Over 14 days, the three experimental groups (a) reduced their daily smartphone use time by 60 minutes, (b) increased their daily level of physical activity by 30 minutes, and (c) combined both measures. The control group continued its behavior as usual. Outcomes were assessed via online surveys at five measurement time points (baseline, intermediate, post-intervention, and 1 and 3 months after the intervention). Results All interventions resulted in a significant increase in weekly physical activity and in reduced symptoms of PSU, depression, and anxiety. Furthermore, the smartphone reduction and the combination of both measures contributed to a significant reduction of participants’ daily smartphone use and higher levels of PMH. The effects of the reduction of smartphone use time and its combination with increased physical activity were more stable in the longer term than the increase in physical activity only. Conclusion Combined with an increase in physical activity, the reduction of smartphone use time could serve as an efficient and cost-effective measure for the prevention of PSU and the promotion of mental health.

Facebook addiction and sleep problems in peruvian university students after the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Additionally, access and connectivity in the jungle region of Peru are limited, which could reduce the interest in staying active on social media and the internet [ 75 ]. Furthermore, we cannot rule out the underestimation of the real prevalence, given that the sample of participants from the jungle was smaller [ 76 ].…”

Problematic smartphone use and academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Secondly, to design, implement, and test the effectiveness of educational and dissemination initiatives aimed at improving academic achievement by preventing the occurrence of PSU. These initiatives could focus on instructing students in the adoption of strategies that have proven useful in reducing PSU, including but not limited to (i) replacing part of the time spent on smartphone use with potentially pleasurable and health-promoting activities such as informal physical activity or sports ( Precht et al, 2024 ); or (ii) adopting responsible patterns of use such as disabling non-essential notifications, keeping the smartphone in silent mode when not in use throughout the day or when going to bed, or leaving it at home when it is not needed ( Olson et al., 2022 ). These initiatives could also be extended to parents -particularly those of younger students - who could be instructed on how to implement effective supervisory/technical and restrictive mediation of children's and adolescents' smartphone use ( Chang et al., 2019 ).…”

“…Quantifying the relationship between PSU and academic achievement by incorporating new data available since the publication of the only previous meta-analytic study, while addressing the aforementioned limitations, may provide greater insight regarding the reasons underlying the variability in size and direction reported in the literature for this relationship ( Bai, Chen, & Han, 2020 ; Domoff, Foley, & Ferkel, 2020 ; Przepiorka, Błachnio, Cudo, & Kot, 2021 ; Rathakrishnan et al., 2021 ; Zhou, Liu, Wang, Liu, & Li, 2022 ). Similarly, identifying populations that may be particularly susceptible in terms of showing a negative impact on their academic achievement due to experiencing high PSU levels could be useful in defining priority targets of intervention actions that, focusing on PSU reduction ( Olson, Sandra, Chmoulevitch, Raz, & Veissière, 2022 ; Precht et al, 2024 ), may have the potential to contribute to maximizing students' current academic performance and, by extension, their future career development and psychological well-being ( French et al., 2015 ; Lê-Scherban et al., 2014 ).…”

Health, Performance Ratings and Approachability of 50–60 Year Old Sedentary Adults (ActIv-Study): Key Insights for Health Economy and Exercise Promotion

“…Since 2008 the issue has become even more pressing, marked by a notable surge in mechanisation, automation and digitalisation within the realm of work [21][22][23][24]. The spread of working from home and the future use of artificial intelligence may further increase the extent of physical inactivity among the majority of employees [5,6,25,26]. Changes in the household, in the leisure sector and in transportation are also exacerbating the problem [1,11,12,14].…”