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. 2023 Apr 24;15(9):2055.
doi: 10.3390/nu15092055.

Association between Types of Screen Time and Weight Status during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study in Children and Adolescents

Yujie Liu  1   2 , Xiaomin Sun  3 , Erliang Zhang  2 , Huilun Li  1   2 , Xin Ge  2 , Fan Hu  2 , Yong Cai  2 , Mi Xiang  1   2
Affiliations

Association between Types of Screen Time and Weight Status during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study in Children and Adolescents

Yujie Liu et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the changes in distinct types of screen time and explore their longitudinal association with children and adolescents' weight status.

Methods: A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 2228 children and adolescents (6-19 years) in Shanghai, China, before and during the pandemic. Recreational screen time (watching TV/videos, online gaming, using social media, and browsing webpages), educational screen time (online homework and online class), and BMI were measured using a self-reported questionnaire. Mixed-effects models were constructed to assess the associations between screen time and weight status.

Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 20.5% and 10.2% at baseline, respectively. Both recreational and educational screen time increased significantly over two months. While recreational screen time was found to be a risk factor for obesity, it was not the case for educational screen use. Specifically, adolescents who spent more time watching TV/videos had a higher obesity risk (OR = 1.576). No significant associations were found in children.

Conclusions: Overweight and obesity were prevalent among children and adolescents in China. Reducing screen-based activities is a promising strategy to prevent unhealthy weight gain in Chinese children and adolescents, while it is necessary to consider the content and distinguish between educational and recreational screen use.

Keywords: children and adolescents; obesity; screen time.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of participants.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in different types of recreational screen time (a) and educational screen time (b) among children and adolescents. Error bars indicate standard errors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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