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. 2021 May;54(5):887-892.
doi: 10.1002/eat.23489. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Contemporary screen time modalities among children 9-10 years old and binge-eating disorder at one-year follow-up: A prospective cohort study

Jason M Nagata  1 , Puja Iyer  1 , Jonathan Chu  1 , Fiona C Baker  2   3 , Kelley Pettee Gabriel  4 , Andrea K Garber  1 , Stuart B Murray  5 , Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo  6 , Kyle T Ganson  7
Affiliations

Contemporary screen time modalities among children 9-10 years old and binge-eating disorder at one-year follow-up: A prospective cohort study

Jason M Nagata et al. Int J Eat Disord. 2021 May.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prospective associations between contemporary screen time modalities in a nationally representative cohort of 9-10-year-old children and binge-eating disorder at one-year follow-up.

Method: We analyzed prospective cohort data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 11,025). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate associations between baseline child-reported screen time (exposure) and parent-reported binge-eating disorder based on the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (KSADS-5, outcome) at one-year follow-up, adjusting for race/ethnicity, sex, household income, parent education, BMI percentile, site, and baseline binge-eating disorder.

Results: Each additional hour of total screen time per day was prospectively associated with 1.11 higher odds of binge-eating disorder at 1-year follow-up (95% CI 1.05-1.18) after adjusting for covariates. In particular, each additional hour of social networking (aOR 1.62, 95% CI 1.18-2.22), texting (aOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.08-1.82), and watching/streaming television shows/movies (aOR 1.39, 95% CI 1.14-1.69) was significantly associated with binge-eating disorder.

Discussion: Clinicians should assess screen time usage and binge eating in children and adolescents and advise parents about the potential risks associated with excessive screen time.

Keywords: adolescents; binge eating; binge-eating disorder; disordered eating; eating disorder; pediatrics; screen time; smart phone; social media; television.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest statement: The authors have no conflict to declare.

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