The correlation between exercise types and adolescents’ executive function and mobile phone dependence: a cross-sectional study from the perspective of motor skill classification

Objective This study aims to explore the correlation between different exercise types and adolescents’ executive function as well as mobile phone dependence, and to investigate the mediating role of executive function in the relationship between exercise types and mobile phone dependence. Methods This study adopted a cross-sectional study design, and a total of 1,016 first-year and second-year high school students from three cities in Sichuan Province were selected via convenience sampling. The Adolescent Executive Function Scale was used to assess ecological executive function. The Self-Rated Questionnaire for Adolescent Mobile Phone Use Dependence was employed to evaluate mobile phone dependence. Participants were divided into the open-skill exercise group and closed-skill exercise group through questionnaire surveys. Statistical analyses, including generalized linear models, partial correlation analysis, and mediating effect analysis, were conducted using SPSS 21.0 software. Results Compared with the closed-skill exercise group, adolescents in the open-skill exercise group had significantly higher inhibitory control (β = 0.410, 95% CI = 0.083∼ 0.738, P = 0.014) and cognitive flexibility (β = 0.588, 95% CI = 0.188∼0.988, P = 0.004), as well as significantly lower physical and mental impacts caused by mobile phone dependence (β = −0.600, 95% CI = −1.073∼-0.127, P = 0.013). In addition, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility played a partial mediating role in the relationship between open-skill exercises and the physical and mental impacts of mobile phone dependence, with indirect effects of −0.178 and −0.278, respectively. Conclusion Open-skill exercises are associated with higher levels of inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility in adolescents, as well as lower physical and mental impacts caused by mobile phone dependence. Moreover, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility play a mediating role in the association between open-skill exercises and mobile phone dependence. This study provides scientific support for adolescents’ exercise type selection and the formulation of relevant health policies.