Frontiers in psychology
Gender-specific differences in smartphone addiction, body image, eating disorders, and physical activity: a cross-sectional investigation
By Alqahtani BS, Alkhathami KM, Moosa SS and 1 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Smartphone addiction, body image concerns, eating disorders, and physical activity are interconnected issues affecting many young people, regardless of gender. This study examines differences in smartphone addiction, body image, eating disorders, and physical activity between male and female participants.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 318 university students (168 males, 150 females) in Saudi Arabia. There average age was of 20.86 ± 3.47 years, a height of 168.24 ± 11.36 cm, and a weight of 65.26 ± 18.32 kg. Data were collected via an online survey using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), Body Image Questionnaire (BIQ-19), Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q 6.0) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). All instruments demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach's α > 0.70) in previous validation studies. Statistical analysis employed Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis tests with a significance level of p < 0.05.