Abstract

BackgroundThere is a need for more longitudinal studies investigating the associations between screen-based sedentary behaviors (SB), dietary behaviors and leisure-time physical activity (PA).MethodsIn the HEIA cohort study, 908 children were followed from age 11 to age 13 (September 2007 – May 2009). The children self-reported their intake of fruits, vegetables, soft drinks with sugar and snacks. TV/DVD use, computer/game use and leisure-time PA were also self-reported. Multilevel generalized linear mixed model analysis was used to assess longitudinal associations between the screen-based SB and each of the two other behaviors.ResultsTwenty-month changes in TV/DVD use and computer/game use were positively associated with changes in the consumption of soft drinks with sugar and unhealthy snacks in the same period; and inversely associated with change in vegetable consumption. Change in computer/game use was also inversely related to change in fruit consumption. An inverse but non-substantive association was found between change in TV/DVD use and change in leisure-time PA. Change in computer/game use was not significantly associated with change in leisure-time PA.ConclusionsChanges in screen-based SB were associated with multiple unfavorable changes in dietary habits, although the associations were weak. These associations need to be further investigated in intervention/experimental studies, to assess whether changing screen-based SB will result in clinically relevant changes in dietary behaviors. However, the findings of this study suggest that screen-based SB and leisure-time PA are largely independent behaviors which should be addressed separately in health promotion activities.

Highlights

  • Several reviews of cross-sectional, longitudinal and experimental studies indicate that sedentary behaviors (SB) play a role in the development of overweight/obesity in children, and that reducing SB might help reduce overweight/obesity [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]

  • Longitudinal associations between SB and dietary behaviors Small but significant inverse associations between change in TV/DVD use and change in vegetable consumption over 20 months were found in the regression analyses

  • Small but significant positive associations were found between change in TV/DVD use and change in soft drink with sugar consumption and change in snacks’ consumption over 20-months (Table 2)

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Summary

Introduction

Several reviews of cross-sectional, longitudinal and experimental studies indicate that SB play a role in the development of overweight/obesity in children, and that reducing SB might help reduce overweight/obesity [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. Differences in this relationship across sex and type of SB investigated have been reported in some of the reviews [2,3,4]. There is a need for more longitudinal studies investigating the associations between screen-based sedentary behaviors (SB), dietary behaviors and leisure-time physical activity (PA)

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