2025/12/06 by Thanaporn Kaewpradup, Svetlana Deric, Hannah Uren +7 · 1 voice
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Flow Experience in Various Fields #Impact of Technology on Adolescents #Sleep and related disorders
paper · doi:10.1016/j.nut.2025.113051
openalex created_date 2025/12/06 · openalex publication_date 2025/12/06 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
OBJECTIVES: Video gaming is highly prevalent among university students, yet its health associations remain poorly understood. This study examined relationships between video gaming frequency and health in Australian university students. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 317 Western Australian university students assessed gaming habits, diet quality (Diet Quality Tool), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), eating behaviors (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire), and perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale). Participants were categorized into tertiles based on gaming frequency (low [0-5 h/wk], moderate [6-10 h/wk], and high [>10 h/wk]). RESULTS: High-frequency gamers had significantly poorer diet quality scores (median 45.0 versus 50.0, P < 0.001), higher BMI (median 26.3 versus 22.2 kg/m², P < 0.001), and worse sleep quality (PSQI score 7.0 versus 6.0, P < 0.001) compared to low-frequency gamers. Correlation analyses confirmed these associations in which gaming frequency negatively correlated with diet quality (r = -0.26, P < 0.001) and physical activity (r = -0.13, P = 0.03) and positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.38, P < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis revealed total gaming hours independently predicted poorer diet quality (β = -0.16, P = 0.02) after controlling for demographic and lifestyle factors. CONCLUSIONS: Higher video gaming frequency was associated with poorer diet quality and increased BMI among university students. These findings suggest excessive gaming may contribute to adverse health outcomes. Public health interventions targeting excessive or high gaming levels and promoting healthy lifestyle habits in university populations are warranted.