Excess Screen Time and its Associated Factors among Young Men in a Rural Community of North India

Abstract

Screen-based media usage among young people is blooming rapidly due to technological and digital revolution. We conducted community-based cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of excess screen time and its association with sociodemographic and behavioral patterns in a rural block of Haryana, India. A semi-structured interview schedule was administered by trained physicians to ascertain screen time in a typical day and various socioeconomic and behavioral factors among a random sample of 860 young men aged 18-24 years. The prevalence of excess screen time was 61.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 58.4-65.1). It was significantly associated with education (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6) and occupation (AOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-3.9) of the father and their sleep duration of ≤8 h (AOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.3). Limiting the screen time as per international standards and behavioral interventions are needed for this young population.

Keywords: Excess screen time; rural; young men.