Association of the Use of the Mobile Phone with Physical Fitness and Academic Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study

Alfredo Bravo-Sánchez, Javier Morán-García, Pablo Abián and Javier Abián-Vicén
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Alfredo Bravo-Sánchez: Performance and Sport Rehabilitation Laboratory, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 45071 Toledo, Spain
Javier Morán-García: Performance and Sport Rehabilitation Laboratory, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 45071 Toledo, Spain
Pablo Abián: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Comillas Pontifical University, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Javier Abián-Vicén: Performance and Sport Rehabilitation Laboratory, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 45071 Toledo, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: The aim of this study was to analyse the association of the use of the mobile phone with physical fitness (PF) and academic performance in secondary school students and its gender-related differences. A total of 501 high school students participated in the study (236 girls and 265 boys; 12–18 years). Use of the mobile phone and sample distributions were done with the Mobile-Related Experience Questionnaire (CERM): low use of mobile phone (LMP = 10–15 points), medium use of mobile phone (MMP = 16–23 points) and high use of mobile phone (HMP = 24–40 points). PF via Eurofit test battery and academic performance were recorded, and gender was used as a differentiating factor. The HMP group registered lower values than the LMP group for academic performance (Spanish: 4.78 ± 2.26 vs. 3.90 ± 1.96 points; p = 0.007, Mathematics: 4.91 ± 2.23 vs. 4.00 ± 1.84 points; p = 0.007) and PF (Abdominals: 6.83 ± 2.40 vs. 5.41 ± 2.46 points; p < 0.001, Broad jump: 6.24 ± 3.02 vs. 4.94 ± 2.28 points; p = 0.013). The boy students showed greater values than girl students for PF in the LMP (medicine-ball-throw: 6.34 ± 2.24 vs. 5.28 ± 1.86 points, p = 0.007) and MMP (medicine-ball-throw: 6.49 ± 2.52 vs. 5.02 ± 1.68 points; p < 0.001) groups, but no gender-related differences were found in the HMP group. In conclusion, high use of the mobile phone was related to worse results in the PF tests and academic performance. Gender-related differences were found for academic performance regardless of the use of the mobile, but for physical fitness no gender differences were found in HMP group.

Keywords: physical activity; adolescents; cell phone use; educational test performance; gender-related differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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