Is dancing with care a possible solution to problematic smartphone use among middle-aged and older adults? A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The global rise of problematic smartphone use has resulted in economic, health, and cognitive losses among middle-aged and older adults. Studies on the influencing factors of problematic smartphone use in this population have been conducted from an individual perspective; few have explored the role of social interaction activities. We investigated the association of Dancing with Care (DWC) with problematic smartphone use among middle-aged and older adults in China. DWC is promoted as a group-based social interaction activity to enhance social integration in communities. It is famous for its flexible participation formation as a dancing activity based on people's interests and emotions. Specifically, we analyzed whether it may contribute to low problematic smartphone use in this population. METHODS: We surveyed 998 residents aged 45-89 years from 10 urban and rural communities each in two cities in China from April to May 2024. DWC team attachment, problematic smartphone use, loneliness, socioeconomic status, and other variables were assessed. A moderated mediation model was used to analyze whether DWC team attachment lessened participants' problematic smartphone use and whether an urban-rural difference existed. We also examined whether loneliness mediated the effect of DWC team attachment on problematic smartphone use. RESULTS: DWC team attachment was negatively associated with participants' problematic smartphone use. Loneliness mediates the association between DWC team attachment and older participants' problematic smartphone use. Moreover, urban and rural residence moderated the association between DWC team attachment and problematic smartphone use. CONCLUSION: Dancing with Care team attachment partially corresponded to lower problematic smartphone use and less loneliness. This effect varied between rural and urban areas, as urban participants had weaker social networks, higher information literacy, and stronger smartphone use habits compared with rural participants. This study highlights the association between a social interaction activity and problematic smartphone use among middle-aged and older adults.