EFFECT OF STRUCTURED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM ON DIGITAL GAME ADDICTION AND AWARENESS: A STUDY OF A GROUP WITH HIGH-LEVEL DIGITALGAME ADDICTION

Background This study aimed to investigate whether a structured physical activity program would affect the levels of digital game addiction and awareness of individuals with high digital game addiction. Material and methods The study used a longitudinal experimental research method with 68 sedentary individuals. The participants were given the Digital Game Addiction Scale (DOC-7) and the Digital Game Addiction Awareness Scale (ADGAS) before and after completing the 12-week structured physical activity program. The program had three phases – the first phase included warm-up exercises, the second phase involved structured physical activity designed to increase understanding of digital gaming addiction, and the final stage had competitive games. The data collected from the DOC-7 and ADGAS was analyzed using t-tests. Results The results of the posttest showed a significant decrease in digital game addiction and a significant increase in awareness of digital game addiction with the structured physical activity program. Conclusions The study also revealed that the structured physical activity program increased the level of awareness of digital game addiction from low to moderate levels.