Objective: This study examines the association between time spent watching TV, playing video games, using a computer or handheld device (screen time), and BMI among U.S. adolescents, and potential effect modification of these associations by sex, sleep duration, and physical activity.
Methods: A secondary analysis of 10-17-year-old participants in the 2016-2017 National Survey of Children's Health was conducted. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between parent-reported screen time and BMI categories and effect modification by sex, sleep duration and physical activity.
Results: The analysis included 29,480 adolescents (49.4% female). Those with ≥1 hour (vs <1 hour) of TV/video games per day were more likely to be overweight/obese (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 1-3 hours = 1.4; 95% Confidence Interval (CI)1.19, 1.65; aOR ≥4 hours = 2.19; 95% CI 1.73, 2.77). This association was stronger in adolescents who did not meet the guidelines for physical activity (aOR ≥ 4 hours = 3.04; 95% CI: 2.1, 4.4) compared with those who did (aOR ≥ 4 hours = 1.64; 95% CI: 0.72, 3.72). Using computers/handheld devices was associated with a smaller increase in odds of overweight/obesity (aOR ≥4 hours = 1.53; 95% CI:1.19, 1.97).
Conclusion: Watching TV or playing video games for ≥1 hour per day is associated with obesity in adolescents who did not meet the guidelines for physical activity. Using computers or handheld devices seems to have a weaker association with BMI compared with TV/video games.
Copyright: © 2022 Bakour et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.