Effectiveness of Exercise Snacks in Mitigating Adolescent Problematic Smartphone Use: A Four-Wave Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.
Linjing Li, Bo Peng, Jinde Liu et al.
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In 30 seconds
This four-wave cluster randomized controlled trial tested whether brief, vigorous activity breaks could reduce problematic smartphone use among 386 adolescents in 12 secondary-school classes. Classes were assigned to four daily 2-minute exercise bouts during school breaks or to a wait-list control. At month four, pooled model-adjusted between-group differences in change from baseline were -6.55 SAS-SV points (95% CI, -7.38 to -5.71) and -52.22 min/day of screen time (95% CI, -67.21 to -37.23). Some improvements attenuated during the subsequent 2-month unguided follow-up.
Key findings
- At month four, the adjusted between-group difference in SAS-SV change was -6.55 points (95% CI, -7.38 to -5.71).
- At month four, the adjusted between-group difference in daily screen-time change was -52.22 min/day (95% CI, -67.21 to -37.23).
- Some improvements attenuated during the 2-month unguided follow-up.
Why it matters
Problematic smartphone use and sedentary behavior are relevant concerns in secondary-school settings. This trial suggests that short, scheduled activity bouts may be a feasible school-based approach associated with lower smartphone addiction severity and device-derived screen time over four months. The attenuation after structured support ended and the authors’ call for further investigation of clinical importance mean the findings should be interpreted as promising rather than definitive.
What to keep in mind
Some improvements attenuated during the 2-month unguided follow-up; the psychological mechanisms and clinical importance of the observed changes remain uncertain.