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The relationship between cell phone use, physical and sedentary activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness in a sample of U.S. college students.

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Lepp A, Barkley JE, Sanders GJ, Rebold M, Gates P. · 2013

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Heavy cell phone use was linked to significantly lower cardiovascular fitness in college students, suggesting our devices may harm health through behavioral changes.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers studied college students to examine how cell phone use affects physical fitness and activity levels. They found that students who used their phones more had significantly lower cardiorespiratory fitness, even after accounting for other factors like body fat and exercise motivation. The study suggests this happens because heavy phone users often skip physical activities to use their devices, and phone use tends to be part of a broader pattern of sedentary behavior.

Why This Matters

This research reveals an important indirect pathway by which our devices may be harming our health. While much EMF research focuses on direct biological effects like cellular damage or brain changes, this study demonstrates how our technology habits create behavioral patterns that undermine our physical wellbeing. The finding that heavy cell phone users had measurably lower cardiorespiratory fitness points to a concerning trend where screen time displaces the physical activity our bodies need to thrive. What makes this particularly relevant is that the behavioral effects documented here may be more immediately impactful than some of the longer-term biological effects still being studied. The reality is that our devices are reshaping how we spend our time in ways that can compromise our health through multiple pathways.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The purpose of this study was to investigate these relationships among a sample of healthy college students.

Participants were first interviewed about their physical activity behavior and cell phone use. Then ...

Cell phone use was significantly (p = 0.047) and negatively (β = −0.25) related to cardio respirator...

Cell phone use, like traditional sedentary behaviors, may disrupt physical activity and reduce cardiorespiratory fitness.

Cite This Study
Lepp A, Barkley JE, Sanders GJ, Rebold M, Gates P. (2013). The relationship between cell phone use, physical and sedentary activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness in a sample of U.S. college students. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2013 Jun 21;10:79. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-10-79.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2013_the_relationship_between_cell_2349,
  author = {Lepp A and Barkley JE and Sanders GJ and Rebold M and Gates P.},
  title = {The relationship between cell phone use, physical and sedentary activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness in a sample of U.S. college students.},
  year = {2013},
  doi = {10.1186/1479-5868-10-79},
  url = {https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1479-5868-10-79},
}
DOI: 10.1186/1479-5868-10-79

Cited By (310 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, research shows cell phone use can negatively impact cardiorespiratory fitness. A 2013 study of college students found that heavy phone users had significantly lower fitness levels, even after accounting for body fat and exercise motivation.
Cell phone use may indirectly harm cardiovascular health by reducing physical activity. Students who used phones more frequently had lower cardiorespiratory fitness, suggesting phones can disrupt the exercise habits needed for heart health.
Research indicates heavy phone users are more likely to skip physical activities to use their devices instead. College students with high phone use showed lower fitness levels and reported choosing sedentary phone activities over exercise.
Heavy cell phone use appears to disrupt exercise patterns by encouraging sedentary behavior. Students who used phones frequently were more likely to forgo physical activities and showed significantly lower cardiorespiratory fitness levels overall.
Excessive phone use can reduce cardiorespiratory fitness by promoting sedentary behavior. Research found that heavy phone users had lower fitness levels and were more likely to choose phone activities over physical exercise opportunities.