Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Its Relationship With Combinations of Physical Activity and Screen-Based Sedentary Behavior Among Adolescents in China

Abstract

Background: Given the widespread prevalence and serious nature of Internet addiction (IA), this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of IA and assess the relationships between IA and combinations of physical activity (PA) and screen-based sedentary behavior (SB) among adolescents in China. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 31,954 adolescents in grades 7 to 12 in Beijing. IA, PA, screen-based SB, and other information were obtained from a self-administrated questionnaire. The chi-square test and mixed-effects logistic regression model were applied to estimate the relationship between IA and combinations of PA and screen-based SB. Results: 6.2% of the surveyed adolescents reported IA and the prevalence of low PA/high screen-based SB, high PA/high screen-based SB, low PA/low screen-based SB, and high PA/low screen-based SB were 53.7%, 19.5%, 18.8%, and 8.0%, respectively. Mixed-effects logistic regression analysis showed that adolescents with low PA/high screen-based SB were 1.99 (95% confidence interval, 1.62–2.44, P < .001) times more likely to prefer IA than those with high PA/low screen-based SB. Conclusions: The prevalence of IA among Chinese adolescents is still high. Intervention programs like maintaining sufficient PA and reducing screen-based SB might contribute to reducing their IA.