Gender differences in smartphone addiction, physical activity, and quality of life: a cross-sectional study

Smartphones are now a vital part of daily life for young adults, especially university students. While gender differences in both technology use and health behaviours have been noted. There is a lack of comprehensive analysis on how gender is associated with the relationship between smartphone addiction, physical activity, and quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to compare levels of smartphone addiction, physical activity, and QoL between genders, examine the relationships among these variables, and investigate whether these relationships differ by gender.

A cross-sectional study involving 245 adult participants (127 male, 118 female) aged 18-24 years was conducted. Participants completed an online self-reported survey that included the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Data were analyzed using independent-samples t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, Pearson and Spearman correlations, and moderation analysis via multiple linear regression.

Males scored significantly higher than females in psychological health (p = 0.017) and physical activity (p = 0.029). No significant gender differences were found for smartphone addiction, physical health, social relationships, environmental health, or overall QoL (all p > 0.05). Smartphone addiction was negatively correlated with physical health (ρ = -0.125, p = 0.049), environmental health (ρ = -0.166, p = 0.008), and overall QoL (r = -0.164, p = 0.009), but not with psychological health (r = -0.103, p = 0.106) or social relationships (ρ = -0.123, p = 0.054). Physical activity was positively correlated with all QoL domains (all p < 0.01). Gender did not moderate the relationship between smartphone addiction and QoL (R² = 0.030, p = 0.314) or between physical activity and QoL (R² = 0.065, p = 0.957).

This research demonstrated that males reported higher psychological health and physical activity than females, but no significant gender differences in smartphone addiction or most quality of life domains. Smartphone addiction was associated with poorer physical and environmental quality of life, but not with psychological or social quality of life. Physical activity was consistently associated with better quality of life across all domains. Gender did not moderate these relationships, serving only as a predictor in certain models. These findings clarify that while gender differences exist in specific health behaviors, the pathways linking smartphone use, physical activity, and quality of life are largely similar across such a young population.