Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

Background & Aims: Internet and computer use independently of sedentary behaviors can have a negative effect on health. Nowadays, the widespread use of the Internet and computers has replaced physical activities in leisure time (1). In this regard, studies have shown various connections between extensive use of the Internet in leisure time and lower physical activity levels (2). In this regard, it has been found that the conditions of modern life in which technology, including the Internet, facilitates human life, can cause a decrease in physical activity. In general, students who actively participate in physical activity are less interested in activities such as sitting and working on the Internet for long hours, however, There is very little empirical research on this topic (3). On the other hand, it has been found that the use of the Internet is common among boys and girls, and all the age groups are vulnerable, especially children and teenagers. The prevalence of this disorder has increased in children and adolescents, because they are growing and psychologically unstable, easily influenced by the media, and vulnerable to the development of addictive behavior (4). On the other hand, there is a large part of educational, academic and scientific materials in virtual space that will be accessible through the Internet, These things have caused the use of the Internet to increase in today's life so that it will be difficult to live without the Internet On the other hand (according to the report of the World Health Organization), there is no consensus in the definition of "excessive use of the Internet" and in the definition of its excessive use, different times have been reported in different researches This excessive use may cause physical, motor and psychological problems for children Therefore; Experimental research in the field of Internet addiction is very important (5).
Methods: To carry out the current applied research, which is descriptive-correlational, survey and quantitative, among the students of schools in Tehran in the academic year of 2021-2022 and based on the results obtained from the G Power software, 438  available students were selected as samples. To collect the required data, Internet addiction questionnaires by Chen et al. (2003) and movement motivation by Nazarpuri et al. (2019) was used. Descriptive statistics in the form of tables and graphs were used for data analysis, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and structural equations were used in the inferential part. All analyzes were done using SPSS and Smart PLS software.
Results: There is an inverse relationship between Internet addiction and students' movement motivation, and Internet addiction reduces students' movement motivation. The Internet addiction variable explains a total of 17/0 of the variance of the students' movement motivation variable, which, considering the values ​​related to the effect size, the coefficient index of this value is estimated to be low, in other words, Internet addiction can explain the variable variance of students' movement motivation at a low level.
Conclusion: In the present research, it was found that there is a relationship between Internet addiction and students' movement motivation. In this regard and in line with the findings of the present study, Takhtei et al. (1400), compared motor skills and body mass index of 7 to 10 year old male students with and without Internet addiction and concluded that there was a significant difference between gross and fine skills, motor proficiency, and there is also a significant difference in the body mass index of students with and without Internet addiction, meaning that children with internet addiction showed poorer performance in gross and fine motor skills and motor proficiency and also had a higher body mass index. Internet addiction may be associated with obesity and poor performance in gross motor skills, therefore, it is recommended to take necessary measures in this field for prevention (12). In another study in this regard, Hosseyni Beheshtian (2012) showed that there is a significant positive relationship between the characteristics of neuroticism and extroversion and Internet addiction. It was also found that there is a negative relationship between the characteristics of adaptability and conscientiousness and Internet addiction (13). To explain the above findings, it can be said that using the Internet and computer can replace physical activities in free time (14). In this regard, researches have shown various relationships between extensive use of the Internet and lower body mass index and physical activity level (15). However, we have to note that the conditions of modern life in which technology, including the Internet facilitates human life, can cause a decrease in physical activity; It has been found that students who are actively involved in physical activity, are less interested in activities such as sitting and working on the Internet for long hours (16). According to the above content, the relationship between internet addiction and lack of  movement motivation seems logical. On the other hand, the increase in the prevalence of disorders in children and adolescents is due to the fact that they are growing and are psychologically unstable, easily susceptible to the influence of the media, and are more vulnerable to the development of addictive behavior (17), Also, due to the spread of the Corona virus, course materials were taught in the virtual space, and currently there is a large amount of the course materials in the virtual space, which has increased the use of the Internet in today's life (18). All these factors cause the lack of movement in children and students and as a result, there is no motivation for movement. Therefore, the findings of the present study are reasonable. We hope that by using the results of this study, we can provide experts and families with a clear view on the relationship between Internet addiction and movement motivation, so that they can use it to plan in the best possible way to reduce the use of the internet. However, the lack of access to all members of the society, the lack of control over the psychological conditions and the socio- economic status of the families are the limitations of the present study that may affect the results of the it.