Internet addiction disorder associated with body composition in students of the National University of Central Peru in the Central Highlands of Peru

Villavicencio Montes L.J.; Vasco Vargas M.D.L.Á.; Andrade Mogrovejo A.D.; Huamán Guadalupe E.R. · Nutricion Clinica y Dietetica Hospitalaria (2025) · DOI: 10.12873/451huaman

Resumen

Introduction: Internet addiction disorder has become an emerging pathology with a significant impact on behavior, physical and mental health, contributing to the development of chronic diseases related to nutrition. Objective: To evaluate the association between internet addiction disorder and body composition in students of the National University of Central Peru (UNCP). Materials and methods: An analytical, observational and cross-sectional study was carried out on UNCP students, between 16 and 27 years old, selected through random probabilistic sampling. Body composition measured through anthropometry was evaluated, and Internet addiction disorder was evaluated using the Internet Addiction Scale (EAIL). To evaluate the association, crude and adjusted Prevalence Ratios (PR) were estimated with their respective 95% confidence intervals. Results: A study was carried out on 372 university students, with a percentage of 66.1% women and 33.9% men, with a median age of 20 years. The results showed that 52.4% presented internet addiction disorder. For body composition, significant differences were shown in the triceps fold. Furthermore, the bicipital fold in women was greater (14.93 mm ± 5.71) compared to men (12.99 mm ± 6.47). On the other hand, the percentage of body fat in women (27.51% ± 5.27) was higher than that found in men (18.47% ± 5.76). There is a significant relationship between Internet addiction disorder and body composition, since a BMI PR of 5.25 means that young people with Internet addiction disorder are almost five times more likely to be underweight, overweight and obesity. Conclusions: There is a significant association between body composition and Internet addiction disorder in UNCP university students. Both men and women presented high levels of fat in various measurements, highlighting the importance of interventions to improve the health of students.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú