Associations between internet addiction and physical activity among Vietnamese youths and adolescents

Abstract

The increasing popularity of Internet raises challenges in preventing the negative influences of the Internet, particularly internet addiction (IA) on lifestyles, including physical activity. However, there has been a scarcity of evidence about the relationship between IA and physical activity among Vietnamese youths. The aim of this study was to see if there is an association between IA and physical activity in Vietnamese adolescents and youths. An online cross-sectional study with 589 Vietnamese adolescents and youths was conducted between August 2015 and October 2015 by using the respondent-driven sampling technique (RDS). Short-form Internet addiction test (s-IAT) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short form (Iphysical activityQ-SF) were employed to measure IA and level of physical activity. The results revealed that 23.1% of the participants were found to be inactive in physical activity. Our study did not reveal any association between IA and physical activity in Vietnamese youths and adolescents. We found that the level of physical activity was low to moderate for the majority of the participants, showing that necessary steps are required to provide early intervention in order to emphasize the importance and the benefits of physical activity.