Abstract
BackgroundThe primary aim of this study was to determine if screen use in early childhood is associated with overall vulnerability in school readiness at ages 4 to 6 years, as measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Secondary aims were to: (1) determine if screen use was associated with individual EDI domains scores, and (2) examine the association between screen use and EDI domains scores among a subgroup of high screen users.MethodsThis prospective cohort study was carried out using data from young children participating in a large primary care practice-based research network in Canada. Logistic regression analyses were run to investigate the association between screen use and overall vulnerability in school readiness. Separate linear regression models examined the relationships between children’s daily screen use and each separate continuous EDI domain.ResultsA total of 876 Canadian participants participated in this study. Adjusted logistic regression revealed an association between increased screen use and increased vulnerability in school readiness (p = 0.05). Results from adjusted linear regression demonstrated an association between higher screen use and reduced language and cognitive development domain scores (p = 0.004). Among high screen users, adjusted linear regression models revealed associations between increased screen use and reduced language and cognitive development (p = 0.004) and communication skills and general knowledge domain scores (p = 0.042).ConclusionsScreen use in early childhood is associated with increased vulnerability in developmental readiness for school, with increased risk for poorer language and cognitive development in kindergarten, especially among high users.
Highlights
The link between excessive sedentary behaviours and poor health outcomes across the lifespan is wellnoted in the literature [1,2,3]
A prospective longitudinal study by Pagani and colleagues [8] found that every additional hour of television exposure at 29 months corresponded to 7% and 6% unit decreases in classroom engagement and math achievement, respectively; and that exposure during this critical period may make a unique contribution to developmental risk
A total of 876 children (329 in junior kindergarten (JK) and 547 in senior kindergarten” (SK)) with complete outcome data at follow-up were included in the final analyses of this study (Fig. 1)
Summary
The link between excessive sedentary behaviours and poor health outcomes across the lifespan is wellnoted in the literature [1,2,3]. Childhood is an important period in child development; high levels of Vanderloo et al BMC Public Health (2022) 22:382 may be related to negative outcomes. As concerns in early childhood development often worsen sans meaningful interference, the extent of children inadequately prepared for learning is worrisome [13] typically measured at school entry, school readiness centres around developmental areas related to children’s future success including physical, socioemotional, and language and cognitive factors [14]. The primary aim of this study was to determine if screen use in early childhood is associated with overall vulnerability in school readiness at ages 4 to 6 years, as measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Secondary aims were to: (1) determine if screen use was associated with individual EDI domains scores, and (2) exam‐ ine the association between screen use and EDI domains scores among a subgroup of high screen users
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