Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Department

Brain Health

First Committee Member

Sharon Jalene

Number of Pages

71

Abstract

Video gaming is a prevalent and meaningful occupation for a growing number of young adults, yet its relationship to health behaviors is inconsistent and unclear in literature. This cross-sectional survey-based study examined the differences in nutritional pattens, sleep hygiene, and physical activity between self-identified gamers and non-gamers in a sample of young adults aged 18-34. Recruitment occurred primarily through the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and associated networks. Participants were asked to complete the Mini Eating Assessment Tool, Sleep Hygiene Index, and the International Physical Activity- Short Form. Data was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests and Pearson’s chi-square tests, and no significant differences were found between groups on any of the nutritional questionnaire measures. Sleep hygiene results revealed that gamers had significantly better sleep hygiene than their non-gamer counterparts, although both groups did not demonstrate adequate sleep hygiene despite the differences. Physical activity results showed that gamers reported significantly more sitting time and less daily walking, and they were also significantly more classified in the “lowest” level of physical activity. These findings challenge the stereotype of an unhealthy gamers and instead suggest that lifestyle risk may be more domain-specific and related to the age group as a whole. This has implications for occupational therapy practice in the need to develop individualized, health-promoting treatment plans to address lifestyle habits respectful of the meaningful occupations of their clients, especially for young adults.

Keywords

gaming; nutrition; physical activity; sleep

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Public Health

File Format

PDF

Run Time

972 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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