Relationships Between Nomophobia Levels and Perceived Stress, Body Image and Food Addiction Among University Students

April 15, 2026 updated by: Beyza Terzioğlu, Bahçeşehir University

An Investigation of the Relationships Between Nomophobia Levels and Stress, Body Image and Food Addiction Among University Students

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of nomophobia levels on stress, food addiction, and body image among undergraduate students aged 18-30 at Bahçeşehir University, Faculty of Health Sciences. The primary questions it aims to answer are:

  • Is there a statistically significant relationship between nomophobia levels and perceived stress, food addiction, and body image among university students?
  • Is there a correlation between objective anthropometric data (body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass) measured via Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), waist/hip circumference measurements, and the individual's perceived body image?

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The data collection process for this study will involve undergraduate students aged 18-30 at Bahçeşehir University, Faculty of Health Sciences. Participants will first complete a survey consisting of a socio-demographic form, daily screen time tracking, the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), and the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale (FRS) to assess subjective body image.To ensure the accuracy of the biological data, participants will be required to follow a standardized measurement protocol, including at least 8 hours of fasting, avoidance of heavy physical activity prior to the assessment, and the removal of all metal accessories. Under these conditions, objective physical data will be gathered using the InBody 270 body composition analyzer via Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) to record body weight (kg), body fat percentage (%), and skeletal muscle mass (kg). Additionally, anthropometric measurements including waist and hip circumferences (cm) will be manually collected using a standardized non-elastic tape to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR). These objective metrics will be compared with the participants' subjective survey responses to analyze the impact of nomophobia on body image distortion, stress levels, and eating behaviors.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
150

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • beşiktaş
      • Istanbul, beşiktaş, Turkey (Türkiye), 34353
        • Recruiting
        • Bahcesehir University, Faculty of Health Sciences
        • Contact:
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of university students who are active smartphone users and have provided informed consent. Participants do not have pacemakers, metallic prostheses, or pregnancy, and they do not have diagnosed metabolic disorders (e.g., Cushing's syndrome, diabetes, thyroid disorders) or psychiatric conditions that could affect eating behavior. Individuals with current eating disorders, severe psychiatric diagnoses, regular use of psychiatric medications, recent corticosteroid or hormone therapy, or those who do not complete the questionnaires and measurement procedures are excluded.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being an active smartphone user
  • Reading and providing consent via the Informed Consent Form
  • Absence of conditions such as pacemaker implantation, metallic prostheses in the body, or pregnancy
  • Not having a diagnosed metabolic disorder (e.g., Cushing's syndrome, diabetes, thyroid disorders) or any acute/chronic psychiatric condition that may affect eating behavior

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals with a current diagnosis of an eating disorder (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, etc.)
  • Individuals with a psychiatric diagnosis of severe depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, or an anxiety disorder requiring treatment
  • Individuals who regularly use psychiatric medications (e.g., SSRIs, SNRIs, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, etc.)
  • Individuals who have used corticosteroids or similar hormone-regulating medications in the past 3 months
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals
  • Participants who did not complete the questionnaires or the measurement procedures

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
University Students
Participants (n:150) will complete questionnaires assessing nomophobia, perceived stress, body image, and food addiction. In addition, objective anthropometric measurements, including body composition (fat mass, muscle mass) via Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (InBody 270) and waist-to-hip ratio measurements, will be collected. No drugs or treatments are administered.
Other: Questionnaires on Nomophobia, Perceived Stress, Body Image, and Food Addiction; Body Composition and Anthropometric Measurements via Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis
Participants will complete self-report questionnaires including the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Body Image Questionnaire (BIQ), Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0), and the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale (FRS). Objective anthropometric measurements, including body composition using InBody 270 and waist-to-hip ratio, will also be obtained.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Nomophobia
Time Frame: Baseline

The level of nomophobia experienced by participants, measured using the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q).

This form aims to assess your feelings and thoughts when you cannot access your smartphone or are away from it, a condition known as nomophobia. There are no right or wrong answers; what matters is answering honestly based on your own experience. Indicate your level of agreement with each statement about your smartphone use (1 = strongly agree, 7 = strongly disagree).
Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Perceived Stress
Time Frame: Baseline

The level of stress perceived by participants, measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).

Below are a series of questions about your personal experiences over the past month. Please read each question carefully and mark the box under the option that best reflects you. There are no right or wrong answers; what matters is that you respond in a way that reflects your own feelings and thoughts.

Never - Almost Never - Sometimes - Quite Often - Very Often
Baseline
Body Image
Time Frame: Baseline

Self-perceived body image assessed using the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale (FRS), where participants select a figure that best represents their current and ideal body shape.

The images in this section are designed to assess individuals' body perception. Below are figures representing different body types. Please examine these figures carefully and select the one that you think best represents you at the moment. There are no right or wrong answers in this study; what matters is reflecting your own perception as accurately as possible.
Baseline
Food Addiction
Time Frame: Baseline

Assessment of addictive eating behaviors using the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0).

This questionnaire asks about your eating habits over the past year. People sometimes have difficulty controlling their intake of certain foods, such as;

  • Sweets like ice cream, chocolate, pastries, cookies, cake, and candy
  • Starches such as white bread, bread, pasta, and rice
  • Salty snacks like chips, pretzels, and crackers
  • Fatty foods such as steak, bacon, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza, and French fries
  • Sugary drinks like soda and fruit juice

When the following questions refer to SPECIFIC FOODS, please think of ANY foods similar to those listed in each category, or ANY OTHER foods that you may have had problems with during the past year.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Bahçeşehir University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Beyza Terzioğlu, Bahçeşehir University
  • Study Chair: Ecenur Özkul Erdoğan, PhD, Bahçeşehir University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 10, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 15, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • BahcesehirUniversity

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

No individual participant data (IPD) will be shared with other researchers. Individual-level data will remain confidential in accordance with data protection regulations (e.g., KVKK); however, aggregated data, summary statistics, and group-level results may be reported in publications and presentations.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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