Manmeet Kaur Bhalla,
Niraj Kumar,
Deptee Warikoo,
- PhD Scholar, Department of Physiotherapy, Shri Guru Ram Rai Universit, Uttarakhand, India
- Professor and Head of Department, Department of Physiotherapy, Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Uttarakhand, India
- PhD Scholar, Department of Physiotherapy, Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Uttarakhand, India
Abstract
Smartphone addiction has become increasingly prevalent among college students and is associated with various negative physical and psychological outcomes. Functional exercise capacity, a key indicator of physical fitness and health, may be adversely affected by excessive smartphone use due to sedentary behavior and reduced physical activity. This article examines the association between smartphone addiction and functional exercise capacity in college students by analyzing behavioral, psychological, physiological, and methodological perspectives. Evidence suggests that higher levels of smartphone addiction are linked to decreased physical activity, poor cardiovascular endurance, and reduced functional performance. Psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances further mediate this relationship. Intervention strategies, including structured exercise programs, behavioral modification techniques, digital detox interventions, and wearable technology, have shown promise in improving both smartphone use patterns and exercise capacity. The findings highlight the need for integrated health promotion strategies targeting both digital behavior and physical fitness among college populations
Keywords: Smartphone addiction Functional exercise capacity, College students, Physical activity, Sedentary behavior, Mental health, Exercise tolerance, Digital health.
[This article belongs to International Journal of Orthopedic Nursing and Practices ]
References
- Daniele A, Lucas SJE, Rendeiro C. Detrimental effects of physical inactivity on peripheral and brain vasculature in humans: Insights into mechanisms, long-term health consequences and protective strategies. Front Physiol. 2022;13:998380. doi:10.3389/fphys.2022.998380. PMID: 36237532; PMCID: PMC9553009.
- Bi S, Yuan J, Wang Y, Zhang W, Zhang L, Zhang Y, et al. Effectiveness of digital health interventions in promoting physical activity among college students: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2024;26:e51714. doi:10.2196/51714. PMID: 39566049; PMCID: PMC11618011.
- Teychenne M, Sousa GM, Baker T, Liddelow C, Babic M, Chauntry AJ, et al. Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: An updated systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis in a combined sample of 3.3 million people. Br J Sports Med. 2026;60(4):267–285. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2025-109806. PMID: 40903203; PMCID: PMC12702480.
- Currier BS, D’Souza AC, Singh MAF, Lowisz CV, Rawson ES, Schoenfeld BJ, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Resistance training prescription for muscle function, hypertrophy, and physical performance in healthy adults: An overview of reviews. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026;58(4):851–872. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003897. PMID: 41843416; PMCID: PMC12965823.
- Lee DS, Jiang T, Crocker J, Way BM. Social media use and its link to physical health indicators. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2022;25(2):87–93. doi:10.1089/cyber.2021.0188. PMID: 35021894; PMCID: PMC8864418.
- Sun Y, Chen J, Ji M, Li X. Wearable technologies for health promotion and disease prevention in older adults: Systematic scoping review and evidence map. J Med Internet Res. 2025;27:e69077. doi:10.2196/69077. PMID: 40553512; PMCID: PMC12238792.
- Kidokoro T, Tomkinson GR, Lang JJ, Suzuki K. Physical fitness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of annual national physical fitness surveillance among 16,647,699 Japanese children and adolescents between 2013 and 2021. J Sport Health Sci. 2023;12(2):246–254. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2022.11.002. PMID: 36343895; PMCID: PMC9635948.
- Leung KW, Sum KR, Yang YJ. Patterns of sedentary behavior among older adults in care facilities: A scoping review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(5):2710. doi:10.3390/ijerph18052710. PMID: 33800199; PMCID: PMC7967434.
- Mehmood M, Khan MR, Ishaque A, Tariq R, Himani G. Tech strain: The musculoskeletal impact of electronic devices on young adults: A cross-sectional study. J Pak Med Assoc. 2025;75(7):1086–1090. doi:10.47391/JPMA.22334. PMID: 40751618.
- Zhu C, Li S, Zhang L. The impact of smartphone addiction on mental health and its relationship with life satisfaction in the post-COVID-19 era. Front Psychiatry. 2025;16:1542040. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1542040. PMID: 40171312; PMCID: PMC11960497.
- Zvolensky MJ, Garey L, Rogers AH, Schmidt NB, Vujanovic AA, Storch EA, et al. Psychological, addictive, and health behavior implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Behav Res Ther. 2020;134:103715. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2020.103715. PMID: 32891956; PMCID: PMC7451060.
- Piszka M, Kwapien E, Brasse P, Staszkiewicz K, Zerdka J, Staszkiewicz KK, et al. The impact of screen time on the health of the pediatric population: Short- and long-term consequences for lifestyle, ophthalmology, and mental health. Cureus. 2025;17(11):e96944. doi:10.7759/cureus.96944. PMID: 41409950; PMCID: PMC12706514.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice; Committee on the Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Health; Wojtowicz A, Buckley GJ, Galea S, editors. Social Media and Adolescent Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2024 Mar 25. 4, The Relation between Social Media and Health. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK603429/
- Presta V, Guarnieri A, Laurenti F, Mazzei S, Arcari ML, Mirandola P, et al. The impact of digital devices on children’s health: A systematic literature review. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2024;9:236. doi:10.3390/jfmk9040236. PMID: 39584889; PMCID: PMC11587142.
- Philippe TJ, Sikder N, Jackson A, Koblanski ME, Liow E, Pilarinos A, et al. Digital health interventions for delivery of mental health care: Systematic and comprehensive meta-review. JMIR Ment Health. 2022;9:e35159. doi:10.2196/35159. PMID: 35551058; PMCID: PMC9109782.
- Alhassan MA, Al-Otaibi EM, Bin Ofaysan MS, Alarjani KH, Alzuhairi MO, Alarfaj NS, et al. Smartphone addiction and its psychosocial correlates among university students. Cureus. 2025;17(8):e91165. doi:10.7759/cureus.91165. PMID: 41018378; PMCID: PMC12475987.
- Li Z, Zhao YY, Li X, Liu K, Tian DH, Li SX, et al. The relationship between anxiety and parent–child attachment and psychological resilience among Chinese college students: take 100 thousand college students as sample. Front Psychiatry. 2026;16:1667736. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1667736. PMID: 41573047; PMCID: PMC12819800.
- Zhang J, Zeng Y. Effect of college students’ smartphone addiction on academic achievement: The mediating role of academic anxiety and moderating role of sense of academic control. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2024;17:933–944. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S442924. PMID: 38464809; PMCID: PMC10924864.
- Cox S, Dawkins L, Doshi J, Cameron J. Effects of e-cigarettes versus nicotine replacement therapy on short-term smoking abstinence when delivered at a community pharmacy. Addict Behav Rep. 2019;10:100202. doi:10.1016/j.abrep.2019.100202. PMID: 31338412; PMCID: PMC6626064.
- Xiang MQ, Lin L, Wang ZR, Li J, Xu Z, Hu M. Sedentary behavior and problematic smartphone use in Chinese adolescents: The moderating role of self-control. Front Psychol. 2020;10:3032. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03032. PMID: 32038398; PMCID: PMC6985778.
- Bhanderi DJ, Pandya YP, Sharma DB. Smartphone use and its addiction among adolescents in the age group of 16–19 years. Indian J Community Med. 2021;46(1):88–92. doi:10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_263_20. PMID: 34035584; PMCID: PMC8117907.
- Nikolic A, Bukurov B, Kocic I, Vukovic M, Ladjevic N, Vrhovac M, et al. Smartphone addiction, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress among medical students. Front Public Health. 2023;11:1252371. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1252371. PMID: 37744504; PMCID: PMC10512032.
- Wang F. Effects of physical activity on mobile phone addiction among university students: The mediating roles of self-control and resilience. Front Psychol. 2025;16:1503607. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1503607. PMID: 40231003; PMCID: PMC11994967.
- Atış Akyol N, Atalan Ergin D, Krettmann AK, Essau CA. Is the relationship between problematic mobile phone use and mental health problems mediated by fear of missing out and escapism? Addict Behav Rep. 2021;14:100384. doi:10.1016/j.abrep.2021.100384. PMID: 34938842; PMCID: PMC8664862.
- Pinto AJ, Bergouignan A, Dempsey PC, Roschel H, Owen N, Gualano B, et al. Physiology of sedentary behavior. Physiol Rev. 2023;103(4):2561–2622. doi:10.1152/physrev.00022.2022. PMID: 37326297; PMCID: PMC10625842.
- Patel H, Desai R, Shah M. Relationship between physical activity levels and smartphone usage in university students. J Phys Act Health. 2020;17(6):601–608.
- Pirwani N, Szabo A. One-year update on physical activity and smartphone addiction in university students: A systematic review of novel research. Prev Med Rep. 2025;57:103178. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103178. PMID: 40734703; PMCID: PMC12304691.
- Pengpid S, Peltzer K. Sedentary behaviour, physical activity and life satisfaction, happiness and perceived health status in university students from 24 countries. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(12):2084. doi:10.3390/ijerph16122084. PMID: 31200427; PMCID: PMC6617209.
- Liu Y, Tan D, Wang P, Xiao T, Wang X, Zhang T. Physical activity moderated the mediating effect of self-control between bullying victimization and mobile phone addiction among college students. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):20855. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-71797-2. PMID: 39242798; PMCID: PMC11379861.
- Kumpfer KL, Bluth B. Parent/child transactional processes predictive of resilience or vulnerability to substance abuse disorders. Subst Use Misuse. 2004;39(5):671–698. doi:10.1081/JA-120034011. PMID: 15202804.

International Journal of Orthopedic Nursing and Practices
| Volume | 04 | |
| Issue | 01 | |
| Received | 06/04/2026 | |
| Accepted | 07/05/2026 | |
| Published | 16/05/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 40 Days |