Examining the relationship between wearable technology use and exercise addiction of fitness individuals

The aim of the research is to examine the relationship between the perception of use of wearable technological sports products and exercise addiction of individuals participating in recreational fitness. In the research, the relational screening model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used. The population of the research consists of individuals who use at least one of the wearable sports technologies and participate in recreational fitness activities in sports centers on the European side of Istanbul. The sample of the research includes 222 individuals who use at least one of the wearable sports technologies in sports centers in the Beylikdüzü district of Istanbul, participate in recreational fitness activities and participate in the study on a voluntary basis. The data collection tools of the study are personal information form, exercise addiction scale and usage perception scale of wearable technological sports products. The data obtainedSPSS 27.0 statistical program was used in the analysis. Mann Whitney U Test was used to compare two groups, and Kruskal Wallis test was used to compare two or more groups. Spearman Correlation analysis was conducted to measure the relationship between the perception of use of wearable technological sports products and exercise addiction. The significance level was determined as p<0.05. The results of the research reveal that there are low-level positive relationships between the exercise addiction scale and the perception of use of wearable technological sports products. In line with the research findings, suggestions were made to ensure technology integration in exercise programs. Keywords: Fitness, wearable technology, exercise addiction