The impact of video gaming, music, and social media on physical activities among adults in China and Germany

Videogaming, music listening, and social media are popular activities in leisure time. In this study, we aim to investigate if time spent on these leisure activities has impacts on physical activity (PA) level across China and Germany. Accordingly, we undertook an online study among adults in China (n = 1123) and Germany (n = 1009) from December 2021 to February 2022. We found that adults in Germany reported higher energy expenditure on PA than those in China. Adults in Germany preferred a high level of PA, while adults in China preferred a low level. We also found that less time on videogaming or more time on music listening was associated with higher PA level. Interestingly, time spent on social media had no effect on PA level. Our findings suggested that regulating time spent on video gaming and music listening might help promote the public's physical activities.