Bidirectional Mediating Effects between Problematic Internet Use and Obesity-Related Eating Behavior on College Students’ Sub-Health Status: A Cross-lagged Panel Analysis

IF 2.5 3区社会学 Q1 SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY

Applied Research in Quality of Life Pub Date : 2025-06-10 DOI:10.1007/s11482-025-10464-8

Fangjie Dong, Yuqian Deng, Yuqiu Chen, Yibo Wu

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Abstract

Previous studies have primarily explored binary relationships between problematic internet use (PIU), obesity-related eating behavior (OEB), and sub-health status (SHS) using cross-sectional designs, leaving gaps in understanding their dynamic interactions and developmental trajectories. Using two-wave longitudinal data (2022 & 2024) from 3,609 Chinese college students, this study employed cross-lagged panel model to examine bidirectional relationships between PIU and OEB, and half-longitudinal mediation models to explore their underlying mechanisms affecting SHS. The findings revealed that OEB significantly predicted subsequent PIU, while PIU showed no significant delayed effect on OEB. Half-longitudinal mediation analysis demonstrated that PIU contributed to SHS through its immediate positive effect on concurrent OEB, while OEB increased SHS through its positive effect on subsequent PIU. This study reveals the complex temporal dynamics between PIU and OEB, demonstrating a negative spiral pattern where these behaviors mutually reinforce each other, and highlighting their synergistic effects on college students’ SHS through bidirectional mediating pathways. These findings suggest that preventing and improving SHS requires simultaneous intervention in both PIU and OEB rather than treating them as isolated issues.

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问题网络使用与肥胖相关饮食行为对大学生亚健康状况的双向中介效应：一个交叉滞后的面板分析

以往的研究主要是通过横断面设计来探讨问题网络使用（PIU）、肥胖相关饮食行为（OEB）和亚健康状态（SHS）之间的二元关系，在理解它们的动态相互作用和发展轨迹方面存在空白。本研究利用3609名中国大学生的两波纵向数据（2022 & 2024），采用交叉滞后面板模型检验PIU与OEB之间的双向关系，并采用半纵向中介模型探讨其影响SHS的潜在机制。结果显示，OEB对随后的PIU有显著的预测作用，而PIU对OEB没有显著的延迟效应。半纵向中介分析表明，PIU通过对并发OEB的直接正向作用促进了SHS，而OEB通过对后续PIU的正向作用促进了SHS。本研究揭示了PIU和OEB之间复杂的时间动态关系，呈现出相互强化的负螺旋模式，并强调了它们通过双向中介通路对大学生SHS的协同效应。这些发现表明，预防和改善SHS需要同时干预PIU和OEB，而不是将其视为孤立的问题。

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来源期刊

Applied Research in Quality of Life SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

11.80%

发文量

期刊介绍： The aim of this journal is to publish conceptual, methodological and empirical papers dealing with quality-of-life studies in the applied areas of the natural and social sciences. As the official journal of the ISQOLS, it is designed to attract papers that have direct implications for, or impact on practical applications of research on the quality-of-life. We welcome papers crafted from interdisciplinary, inter-professional and international perspectives. This research should guide decision making in a variety of professions, industries, nonprofit, and government sectors, including healthcare, travel and tourism, marketing, corporate management, community planning, social work, public administration, and human resource management. The goal is to help decision makers apply performance measures and outcome assessment techniques based on concepts such as well-being, human satisfaction, human development, happiness, wellness and quality-of-life. The Editorial Review Board is divided into specific sections indicating the broad scope of practice covered by the journal. The section editors are distinguished scholars from many countries across the globe.