Digital Sedentary Behavior, Mobile Device Dependence, Musculoskeletal Symptoms, and Mental Health among University Students
Description
This dataset contains anonymized information collected through a survey of 1,220 college students enrolled in programs across four schools and 19 programs at a private Colombian university. The data were obtained using the sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mobile Device Dependency Test, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, the depression index, and the anxiety scale. The variables include sociodemographic characteristics, mobile device usage patterns, levels of mobile device dependence, self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms by anatomical region, and the presence of depression and anxiety. The dataset will support the results to be presented in a scientific article. The data are provided in Microsoft Excel version 01 format, along with a variable and data dictionary and the questionnaires in PDF format to facilitate their reuse and reproducibility.
Files
Steps to reproduce
This is an observational, cross-sectional, and analytical study conducted with college students at a private university in southwestern Colombia, with a population (N) of 21,529 students in 2022. The research design involved stratified probability sampling. To ensure representativeness and reduce selection bias, institutional strata were defined at two hierarchical levels: first, the college of affiliation, and second, the specific academic program. The initial statistical parameters included a 95% confidence level (Z = 1.96) and the maximum expected phenotypic variability (p = 0.5; q = 0.5). The sample was allocated within each stratum and sub-stratum in proportion to the actual size of each academic unit. Although the minimum sample size required for a 5% standard error was significantly smaller, an effective sample of 1,220 students was collected. By adjusting the equation for finite populations using this actual sample size (n = 1,220), the study’s overall margin of error was optimized, reducing it to 2.73%, which lends the findings high precision and statistical inferential validity. The study’s hypothesis is that digital inactivity is significantly associated with adverse health outcomes among college students, including greater dependence on mobile devices, increased musculoskeletal symptoms, and poorer mental health.
Institutions
- Universidad Santiago de CaliValle del Cauca Department, Santiago de Cali