Abstract
BackgroundOverweight in children and adolescents has reached dimensions of a global epidemic during recent years. Simultaneously, information and communication technology use has rapidly increased.MethodsA population-based sample of Finnish twins born in 1983–1987 (N = 4098) was assessed by self-report questionnaires at 17 y during 2000–2005. The association of overweight (defined by Cole's BMI-for-age cut-offs) with computer and cell phone use and ownership was analyzed by logistic regression and their association with BMI by linear regression models. The effect of twinship was taken into account by correcting for clustered sampling of families. All models were adjusted for gender, physical exercise, and parents' education and occupational class.ResultsThe proportion of adolescents who did not have a computer at home decreased from 18% to 8% from 2000 to 2005. Compared to them, having a home computer (without an Internet connection) was associated with a higher risk of overweight (odds ratio 2.3, 95% CI 1.4 to 3.8) and BMI (beta coefficient 0.57, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.98). However, having a computer with an Internet connection was not associated with weight status. Belonging to the highest quintile (OR 1.8 95% CI 1.2 to 2.8) and second-highest quintile (OR 1.6 95% CI 1.1 to 2.4) of weekly computer use was positively associated with overweight. The proportion of adolescents without a personal cell phone decreased from 12% to 1% across 2000 to 2005. There was a positive linear trend of increasing monthly phone bill with BMI (beta 0.18, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.30), but the association of a cell phone bill with overweight was very weak.ConclusionTime spent using a home computer was associated with an increased risk of overweight. Cell phone use correlated weakly with BMI. Increasing use of information and communication technology may be related to the obesity epidemic among adolescents.
Highlights
Overweight in children and adolescents has reached dimensions of a global epidemic during recent years
Given the paucity of data on the effects of information and communication technology on adolescent health, we studied the relation of the use of these technologies with weight status
The proportion of adolescents without a computer decreased from 18% to 8%, while the proportion of adolescents with a computer and an Internet connection increased from 61% to 81%. (Table 3)
Summary
Overweight in children and adolescents has reached dimensions of a global epidemic during recent years. Prevalence of overweight is rapidly increasing among children and adolescents. As defined by the International Obesity Task Force criteria, the prevalence of obesity is estimated to be about 10% throughout the world among 5–17-year-olds and dramatically higher in developed countries, reaching about 30% in the Americas [1]. Environmental factors are important: while genes may predispose a child to weight gain, environmental factors can foster development of obesity. Sedentary leisure activities are considered one of the main reasons for the obesity epidemic [1]. There is an inverse association between sports/ physical activity and weight status in cross-sectional studies [4,5,6,7,8]
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