Abstract:

Introduction:
In today's higher education landscape, digital immersion has become an essential component of both academic and social life. Immersion in digital life (IDL) reflects the extent to which key areas such as communication, leisure, and interpersonal relationships are mediated through digital platforms within university settings. However, its long-term impact on students' physical health remains under-researched. Given that physical activity (PA) is a primary indicator of physical health, there is a critical need for longitudinal research exploring the relationship between initial digital immersion and its subsequent impact on physical habits. Consequently, this study aims to investigate whether baseline levels of digital immersion can predict subsequent physical activity patterns. The objective is to determine if high digital engagement serves as an obstacle to maintaining an active lifestyle over a one-week period.

Method:
A longitudinal study was conducted with a sample of Spanish university students (N = 53; M = 25.87, SD = 7.11; 56.6% female, 41.5% male, 1.9% non-binary). At the beginning of the week (T1), baseline levels of immersion were measured using the Spanish version of the Immersion in Digital Life Scale (IDLS). After seven days (T2), participants’ physical activity was assessed through a self-reported qualitative classification question: Do you regularly practice moderate or vigorous physical activity (PA) (at least weekly), such as exercise, sports, training, or similar? Based on their responses, they were categorized into three groups: Vigorous PA, Moderate PA, and Non-active. Descriptive, correlational, and one-way ANOVA analyses were performed using JASP 0.96 software to evaluate the predictive capacity of T1 Digital Immersion on T2 Activity levels.

Results:
The analysis confirms that the IDL measured at T1 shows a significant association with physical inactivity (non-active) at T2 (F [2.47] = 3.46, p = .04). Descriptive data reveal a digital-physical gap: students who remained inactive during the week showed significantly higher baseline IDL (M = 62.17) compared to those who engaged in vigorous (M = 47.28) or moderate (M = 47.39) physical activity. No significant differences in IDL were found between the two active groups, suggesting that the critical threshold for physical inactivity is linked to high levels of digital life engagement at the start of the academic week.

Conclusions:
These findings demonstrate that high IDL can act as an inhibitor of physical activity. The predictive nature of the T1-T2 relationship suggests that students' digital habits at the start of an academic week condition their physical health outcomes. We conclude that universities should implement digital wellness strategies to break the cycle of immersion. Specifically, evidence-based interventions such as movement snacks, short bursts of activity integrated during academic sessions, and the promotion of teaching outside the traditional classroom can serve as effective tools to counteract physical inactivity and foster long-term well-being in the university community.

Keywords:

Immersion in digital life, physical inactivity, higher education, digital wellness, longitudinal study, movement snacks.