Video gaming is highly prevalent among university students, yet its health associations remain poorly understood. Researchers surveyed university students in Western Australia, examining gaming behaviours alongside key indicators of wellbeing, including diet quality, physical activity, sleep, and stress. The findings indicate that higher levels of gaming are associated with poorer diet quality, reduced physical activity, poorer sleep, and higher body weight, with gaming time emerging as an important contributing factor. For Australian universities, the findings suggest that student wellbeing strategies may need to consider gaming habits as part of a broader approach to nutrition, sleep, physical activity and mental health support.
Citation: Kaewpradup, T., Deric, S., Uren, H. V., et. al. Video gaming linked to unhealthy diet, poor sleep quality and lower physical activity levels in Australian university students. Nutrition, 2026. (link)