Digital Technology Use, Digit Ratio, and Handgrip Strength in University Students (DTU-HGS)

July 5, 2026 updated by: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgür EKEN, Inonu University

Problematic Smartphone and Internet-Use Symptoms, Handgrip Strength, and Digit Ratio in University Students From Different Regional Backgrounds

This observational cross-sectional study examined associations among second-to-fourth digit ratio, handgrip strength, problematic smartphone-use symptoms, problematic Internet-use symptoms, and self-reported smartphone usage time in university students from different regional backgrounds. The analytic sample included 173 students aged 17-26 years from Turkish, Middle Asian, African, and Asian regional backgrounds. Participants completed validated self-report scales for smartphone-use and Internet-use symptoms, and underwent anthropometric, hand morphology, and handgrip strength measurements. The study did not involve randomization, treatment assignment, intervention, or follow-up.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

Detailed Description

This exploratory observational cross-sectional study evaluated whether bilateral second-to-fourth digit ratio and handgrip strength were associated with smartphone-addiction symptom scores, Internet-addiction symptom scores, and self-reported smartphone usage time among university students from different regional backgrounds. The final analytic sample consisted of 173 participants aged 17-26 years, including Turkish, Middle Asian, African, and Asian students. Regional-background comparisons and sex-specific associations were analyzed using descriptive statistics, group comparisons, correlation analyses, and sensitivity analyses adjusted for age and body mass index. The study was observational only and did not include any intervention, random allocation, treatment exposure, clinical procedure, or prospective follow-up.

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 (Actual)

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.
173

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

University students aged 17-26 years from Turkish, Middle Asian, African, and Asian regional backgrounds studying at Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • University students aged 17-26 years.
  • Classifiable sex and regional-background information.
  • Ability to understand the study procedures.
  • Written informed consent provided.
  • For participants younger than the legal age of majority, additional parent or legal guardian consent obtained according to institutional requirements.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous finger operation.
  • Finger prosthesis.
  • Median, radial, or ulnar nerve deformity.
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome.
  • Developmental or mental disorder preventing participation or valid assessment.

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.
Turkish university students
University students from Turkish regional background included in the observational cross-sectional analysis.
Middle Asian university students
University students from Middle Asian regional backgrounds included in the observational cross-sectional analysis.
African university students
University students from African regional backgrounds included in the observational cross-sectional analysis.
Asian university students
University students from Asian regional backgrounds included in the observational cross-sectional analysis.

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
Internet-addiction symptom score
Time Frame: At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment
Internet-addiction symptoms assessed using the Young Internet Addiction Scale-Short Form. Higher scores indicate greater Internet-use symptom severity.
At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment
Smartphone-addiction symptom score
Time Frame: At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment
Smartphone-addiction symptoms assessed using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. Higher scores indicate greater smartphone-use symptom severity.
At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment

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
Second-to-fourth digit ratio
Time Frame: At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment
Right and left second-to-fourth digit ratios calculated from index and ring finger lengths measured using a digital caliper.
At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment
Handgrip strength
Time Frame: At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment
Right and left handgrip strength measured using an electronic handgrip dynamometer.
At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment
Self-reported smartphone usage time
Time Frame: At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment
Daily smartphone usage time reported by participants in hours per day.
At baseline / single cross-sectional assessment

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.
Inonu University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University
Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology 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.
December 1, 2022

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.
May 30, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

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 30, 2023

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).
July 5, 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.
July 5, 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.
July 10, 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.
July 10, 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.
July 5, 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.
July 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.
  • BYEU-HSI-2022-164

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be publicly shared because the dataset contains participant-level behavioral and anthropometric information. Data may be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and subject to ethical and institutional approval.

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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