Cent Eur J Public Health 2020, 28(4):260-266 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a6097

Screen time and its effect on dietary habits and lifestyle among schoolchildren

Konstantinos D. Tambalis1, Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos1, Glykeria Psarra1, Labros S. Sidossis1,2
1 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
2 Department of Kinesiology and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the associations between recreational screen time and dietary habits and lifestyle factors in a representative sample of schoolchildren.

Methods: Observational, cross-sectional study data were derived from 177,091 children aged 8 to 17 years participating in a health survey. Recreational screen time, physical activity (PA), and sleeping hours were assessed through self-completed questionnaires. Dietary habits were evaluated via the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (KIDMED) test. Anthropometric and physical fitness (PF) estimations were obtained by trained investigators.

Results: Binary logistic regression comparisons between screen time levels (e.g. < 2 vs. ≥ 2 - < 3 h/d, < 2 vs. ≥ 3 - < 4 h/d and < 2 vs. ≥ 4 h/d) and dietary habits showed that the longer the screen time the increased the odds of unhealthy dietary habits such as skipping breakfast, consuming fast food frequently, and eating sweets frequently, and the decreased the odds of healthy dietary habits such as consuming a second fruit every day, consuming fresh or cooked vegetables or/and fish regularly, in both genders, after adjusting for several covariates. Furthermore, the longer the screen time the increased the odds of total and central obesity, insufficient sleep (< 8-9 h/d), and inadequate PA, and the decreased the odds of healthy PF.

Conclusions: The longer the screen time the unhealthier dietary habits and lifestyle profile among schoolchildren, after adjusting for several covariates.

Keywords: children, adolescents, Mediterranean diet, screen time

Received: January 5, 2020; Revised: October 22, 2020; Accepted: October 22, 2020; Published: December 18, 2020  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Tambalis KD, Panagiotakos DB, Psarra G, Sidossis LS. Screen time and its effect on dietary habits and lifestyle among schoolchildren. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2020;28(4):260-266. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a6097. PubMed PMID: 33338361.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Domingues-Montanari S. Clinical and psychological effects of excessive screen time on children. J Paediatr Child Health. 2017;53(4):333-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. Tremblay MS, Leblanc A, Janssen I, Kho M, Hicks A, Murumets K, et al. Canadian sedentary behaviour guidelines for children and youth. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2011;36(1):59-64. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. The health impacts of screen time: a guide for clinicians and parents [Internet]. RCPCH [cited 2019 Oct 30]. Available from: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2018-12/rcpch_screen_time_guide_-_final.pdf.
    4. Stiglic N, Viner RM. Effects of screen time on the health and well-being of children and adolescents: a systematic review of reviews. BMJ Open. 2019;9(1):e023191. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023191. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Hare-Bruun H, Nielsen BM, Kristensen PL, Møller NC, Togo P, Heitmann BL. Television viewing, food preferences, and food habits among children: a prospective epidemiological study. BMC Public Health. 2011;11:311. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-311. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Public Education. Children, adolescents, and television. Pediatrics. 2001;107(2):423-6. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Colley RC, Wong SL, Garriguet D, Janssen I, Connor Gorber S, Tremblay MS. Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep in Canadian children: parent-report versus direct measures and relative associations with health risk. Health Rep. 2012;23(2):45-52. Go to PubMed...
    8. Craigie AM, Lake AA, Kelly SA, Adamson AJ, Mathers JC. Tracking of obesity-related behaviours from childhood to adulthood: A systematic review. Maturitas. 2011;70(3):266-84. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Costigan SA, Barnett L, Plotnikoff RC, Lubans DR. The health indicators associated with screen-based sedentary behavior among adolescent girls: a systematic review. J Adolesc Health. 2013;52(4):382-92. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Duch H, Fisher EM, Ensari I, Harrington A. Screen time use in children under 3 years old: a systematic review of correlates. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2013;10:102. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-10-102. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. Busch V, Manders LA, de Leeuw JR. Screen time associated with health behaviors and outcomes in adolescents. Am J Health Behav. 2013;37(6):819-30. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Carson V, Hunter S, Kuzik N, Gray CE, Poitras VJ, Chaput J, et al. Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth: an update. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016;41(6 Suppl 3):S240-65. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. van Ekris E, Altenburg TM, Singh AS, Proper KI, Heymans MW, Chinapaw MJ. An evidence-update on the prospective relationship between childhood sedentary behaviour and biomedical health indicators: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2016;17(9):833-49. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Tremblay MS, LeBlanc AG, Kho ME, Saunders TJ, Larouche R, Colley RC, et al. Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2011;8:98. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-8-98. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Shqair AQ, Pauli LA, Costa VPP, Cenci M, Goettems ML. Screen time, dietary patterns and intake of potentially cariogenic food in children: a systematic review. J Dent 2019;86:17-26. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Ghavamzadeh S, Khalkhali HR, Alizadeh M. TV viewing, independent of physical activity and obesogenic foods, increases overweight and obesity in adolescents. J Health Popul Nutr. 2013;31(3):334-42. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Bickham DS, Blood EA, Walls CE, Shrier LA, Rich M. Characteristics of screen media use associated with higher BMI in young adolescents. Pediatrics. 2013;131(5):935-41. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Cole T, Bellizzi M, Flegal K, Dietz WH. Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. BMJ. 2000;320:1240. doi: 10.1136/bmj.320.7244.1240. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Browning LM, Hsieh SD, Ashwell M. A systematic review of waist-to-height ratio as a screening tool for the prediction of cardiovascular disease and diabetes: 0.5 could be a suitable global boundary value. Nutr Res Rev. 2010;23(2):247-69. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Council of Europe; Committee for the Development of Sport. Eurofit: handbook for the Eurofit tests of physical fitness. 2nd ed. Strasbourg: Council of Europe; 1993.
    21. Ruiz JR, Cavero-Redondo I, Ortega FB, Welk GJ, Andersen LB, Martinez-Vizcaino V. Cardiorespiratory fitness cut points to avoid cardiovascular disease risk in children and adolescents; what level of fitness should raise a red flag? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(23):1451-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) [Internet]. CDC [cited 2019 Nov 10]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/.
    23. Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, Carlson SA, Fulton JE, Galuska DA, et al. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA. 2018;320(19):2020-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. Paruthi S, Brooks LJ, D'Ambrosio C, Hall WA, Kotagal S, Lloyd RM, et al. Consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on the recommended amount of sleep for healthy children: methodology and discussion. J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12(11):1549-61. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Serra-Majem L, Ribas L, Ngo J, Ortega RM, Garcia A, Perez-Rodrigo C, et al. Food, youth and the Mediterranean diet in Spain. Development of KIDMED, Mediterranean Diet Quality Index in children and adolescents. Public Health Nutr. 2004;7(7):931-5. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    26. Marshall SJ, Gorely T, Biddle SJ. A descriptive epidemiology of screen-based media use in youth: a review and critique. J Adolesc. 2006;29(3):333-49. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    27. Hale L, Guan S. Screen time and sleep among school-aged children and adolescents: a systematic literature review. Sleep Med Rev. 2015;21:50-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. Fletcher E, Leech R, McNaughton SA, Dunstan DW, Lacy KE, Salmon J. Is the relationship between sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic health in adolescents independent of dietary intake? A systematic review. Obes Rev. 2015;16(9):795-805. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    29. Borghese MM, Tremblay MS, Leduc G, Boyer C, Bélanger P, LeBlanc AG, et al. Independent and combined associations of total sedentary time and television viewing time with food intake patterns of 9- to 11-year-old Canadian children. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014;39(8):937-43. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    30. Biddle SJ, García Bengoechea E, Wiesner G. Sedentary behaviour and adiposity in youth: a systematic review of reviews and analysis of causality. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017;14(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s12966-017-0497-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    Return to the content