The Relationship between Physical Activity, Mobile Phone Addiction, and Irrational Procrastination in Chinese College Students

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to examine the associations between physical activity, mobile phone addiction, and irrational procrastination after adjustment for potential confounding variables. The participants were 6294 first- and second-year students recruited as a cluster sample from three public universities in Shanghai, China. Physical activity, mobile phone use, and irrational procrastination were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), the mobile phone addiction index scale (MPAI), and the irrational procrastination scale (IPS). The participants were divided into four groups according to their mobile phone usage status and physical activity level. The binary logistic regression model was used to predict the probability of serious irrational procrastination among different groups. The emergence of serious of irrational procrastination under physical activity of different intensity and different mobile phone addiction statuses was predicted by a multiple linear regression model. In this study, the combination of insufficient physical activity and mobile phone addiction is positively associated with high levels of irrational procrastination. Furthermore, students who exhibited both mobile phone addiction behaviors and insufficient physical activity tended to have significantly higher odds of reporting high levels of irrational procrastination than those students who exhibited one behavior or neither behavior. After adjusting for the effects of age, BMI, tobacco, alcohol use, and sedentary time, the result is consistent with previous outcomes. These findings suggest that intervention efforts should focus on the promotion of physical activity and reduction of mobile phone addiction.

The Relationship between Physical Activity and Academic Procrastination in Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy

“…PA has a significant and negative impact on AP, this finding is consistent with the previous studies on this topic [ 7 , 24 , 25 ]. In other words, the greater (more time & intensity) PA, the less AP in college students [ 7 , 25 ].…”

“…Academic procrastination (AP) is an intended action to postpone or delay the completion of timely academic activities unnecessarily [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ] and is highly prevalent among college students [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]. It is reported that over 70% of college students regularly postpone educational tasks such as readings and writing assignments [ 7 , 8 ]. Moreover, over 40% of college students have self-identified as frequent procrastinators [ 9 ].…”

“…Clear evidence shows that individuals who participate in regular PA (e.g., more than 150 min per week) demonstrate lower levels of procrastination because participating in PA can increase time management skills [ 24 ]. Shi et al (2021) also specified the types of PA (i.e., light-intensity, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity PA) that affect irrational procrastination and found that the greater intensity of PA, the less procrastination [ 7 ]. Similar results were reported by Zhong and Chu (2013), who examined the association between PA (time, intensity, and frequency) and general procrastination among 220 Chinese college students.…”

A Mediating Model of Emotional Balance and Procrastination on Academic Performance

“…Goubet and Chrysikou's (2019) recent study generally highlights a smaller repertoire of emotional regulation strategies and significantly less flexibility of implementation in males compared to females. Failing to fully accept and cope with their negative states, male students are likely to defend themselves through systematic avoidance, impulsively channeling their energies into social, sporting, playful, virtual, video games, and gambling activities, thereby distancing themselves from the academic task (Zhong, 2013;Petruccelli et al, 2014;Nordby et al, 2019;Shi et al, 2021). This impulsive tendency towards self-distraction and defocusing progressively lowers the level of engagement and motivation to study (Wypych et al, 2018;Svartdal et al, 2020).…”

Physical Activity for Health and Wellness

“…In this context, Farías [22] analyzed which emotions out of fear and hope are most effective in stimulating individuals to make health-related decisions, showing that these appeals in health advertisements do not have any main effect on PA intention, although this effect is positively moderated by perceived body weight and past healthy eating behavior, and is negatively moderated by subjective norms in diet and exercise. Another study conducted by Shi et al [23] on university students indicated that the combination of insufficient physical activity levels with mobile phone addiction is significantly linked to high levels of irrational procrastination. To improve efficiency and reduce irrational procrastination, it would be necessary to increase physical activity and reducing mobile phone addiction.…”