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 Bartın 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-shoulder-chest 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.

Keywords

• Smartphone use
• Postural disorder
• University students

Akıllı Telefon Kullanımı ve Postür Bozukluğu Arasındaki İlişki: Üniversite Öğrencileri Üzerine Bir İnceleme

Abstract

Araştırmanın amacı, spor bilimleri fakültesi öğrencilerinin akıllı telefon bağımlılık düzeyleri ile postür bozuklukları arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Araştırma modeli olarak tarama modelleri arasından “ilişkisel tarama modeli” kullanılmıştır. Araştırma grubunu, 2024-2025 güz yarıyılında Bartın Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Fakültesinde öğrenim gören 275 gönüllü öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Veri toplama aracı olarak, araştırmacılar tarafından hazırlanan kişisel bilgi formu, Akıllı Telefon Bağımlılığı Ölçeği-Kısa Formu (ATBÖ-KF) kullanılmıştır. Postür bozukluklarının belirlenmesi için güvenirlik ve geçerliği bulunan IOS ve Android tabanlı Posture Screen uygulaması kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde normal dağılım oluşturması ön görülmesiyle SPSS 26.0 paket programıyla frekans, yüzde istatistiksel analiz olarak t-testi ve Pearson korelasyon testleri kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın bulgularında, cinsiyet değişkeni ve ATBÖ arasında t-Testi sonuçlarına göre anlamlı farklılık tespit edilmemiştir. Cinsiyet değişkeni ve postür ölçümleri arasında baş-omuz-göğüs değişkenleri arasında t-testi sonuçlarına göre anlamlı farklılık tespit edilmiştir. Akıllı telefon bağımlılığı ile postür ölçümleri arasında anlamlı ilişki tespit edilmemiştir. Bu bilgiler doğrultusunda üniversite öğrencilerinin akıllı telefon bağımlılığının ortalama düzeyde olduğu ve bu durumun postürel bozuklukları olumsuz etkileyebileceği düşünülmektedir. Bu bağlamda üniversite öğrencilerinin, akıllı telefon kullanımın sınırlandırılması ve hareketsiz yaşam biçimden uzaklaşarak fiziksel aktivite içerikli etkinliklere katılım sağlaması gerektiği söylenebilir.

Keywords

• Akıllı telefon kullanımı
• Postür bozukluğu
• Üniversite öğrencileri

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