Relationship between physical activity, social media addiction, and quality of life among high school student: A case study in Ordu province Turkey

This study investigates the relationship between physical activity levels, social media addiction, and life satisfaction among high school students, aiming to understand a potential connection between physical activity levels and social media usage and its impact on life satisfaction among adolescents. The study utilizes the quantitative research method of correlational survey. The sample consists of 300 students from four different types of high schools (Anatolian High School, Science High School, Industrial Vocational High School, Imam Hatip High School) located in the central district of Ordu province, Turkey. Data for the study were collected using the "Social Media Addiction Scale," "Life Satisfaction Scale," and "Physical Activity Short Survey Scale." Descriptive statistics, kurtosis-skewness values, and normality analyses of the dataset were performed using SPSS 26.0 software. Independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with LSD post hoc tests, and Pearson correlation test were employed to analyze the relationships between variables. Results were interpreted at significance levels of 0.001 and 0.005. The study's findings reveal correlations between variables such as gender, income level, school types, class level, and parental education status with students' social media addiction, life satisfaction, and physical activity levels. While male students exhibit more positive outcomes with intense physical activity and social media addiction, females show more favorable results with moderate physical activity. Regarding income levels, it is observed that the low-income group tends to have higher social media addiction, while the middle-income group demonstrates more positive results in terms of life satisfaction. Among school types, students from Industrial Vocational High School exhibit higher scores in social media addiction and life satisfaction compared to students from Imam Hatip High School, with no significant difference in physical activity levels. However, no significant relationships were found between social media addiction, life satisfaction, and physical activity levels concerning class level and parental education status. These findings provide a valuable perspective on understanding the effects of various variables on students' social media usage, life satisfaction, and physical activity.