The Relationship Between Smartphone Use and Postural Disorders: An Investigation on University Students

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the correlation between students' degrees of smartphone addiction and postural disorders at a sports sciences faculty. The research employs a relational survey model, selected from survey models, as the study design. The sample group comprises 275 voluntary students enrolled in Bart & imath;n University's Faculty of Sports Sciences during the fall semester of the 2024-2025 academic year. A personal information form created by the researchers and the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Form (SAS-SF) were among the instruments used to collect data. To assess postural disorders, the study utilized the Posture Screen application, available on iOS and Android platforms, which has demonstrated reliability and validity for this purpose. With the assumption that the data follow a normal distribution, the SPSS 26.0 software package was used to conduct frequency, percentage, t-test, and Pearson correlation analyses. The results of the t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the gender variable and the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Form (SAS-SF). The t-test results, however, showed a significant difference between the gender variable and posture measurements in the head-shoulderchest variables. There was no discernible correlation found between smartphone addiction and assessments of posture. Based on these findings, it is suggested that university students exhibit an average level of smartphone addiction, which may negatively impact postural disorders. In this context, it is recommended university students limit smartphone use and avoid sedentary lifestyles by engaging in physical activities.