Abstract
BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that prolonged time spent on screen-based sedentary behavior was significantly associated with lower health status in children, independent of physical activity levels. The study aimed to explore the individual and environmental correlates of screen time (ST) among 8–19-year-old students in China.MethodsThe study surveyed ST using a self-administered questionnaire in Chinese students aged 8–19 years; 1063 participants were included in the final analysis. Individual and environmental correlates of ST were assessed using a mixed-effects model (for continuous outcome variables) and multiple logistic regression model (for binary outcome variables).ResultsProlonged ST was observed in 14.7% of boys and 8.9% of girls. Of the ST, weekend and mobile phone/tablet use represented 80% and 40%, respectively. A positive relationship was observed between media accessibility and ST in both boys and girls (p < 0.05), whereas the presence of parents/others while using screens was a negative factor for longer ST (p < 0.05). Among the assessed correlates, access to a television (TV) in students’ bedrooms was associated with prolonged total and weekend ST (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, spending time on a mobile phone/tablet or a computer rather than viewing a TV, along with increased media accessibility, increased ST.ConclusionsThese results indicate that greater media accessibility was positively associated and the presence of parents/others was negatively associated with prolonged ST in both Chinese boys and girls. Development of new and effective strategies against prolonged ST are required, especially for small screen device-based ST on weekends.
Highlights
Previous studies have shown that prolonged time spent on screen-based sedentary behavior was significantly associated with lower health status in children, independent of physical activity levels
Individual characteristics in boys and girls screen time (ST) and leisure-based computer use were higher in boys than in girls (p < 0.05), and 14.7% of boys and 8.9% of girls reported prolonged ST (≥2 h/day), respectively (Table 1)
Weekend ST and time spent on a phone/tablet represented about 80% and 40% of ST, respectively
Summary
Previous studies have shown that prolonged time spent on screen-based sedentary behavior was significantly associated with lower health status in children, independent of physical activity levels. The study aimed to explore the individual and environmental correlates of screen time (ST) among 8–19-year-old students in China. Screen-based sedentary behavior (SSB), including many new forms of digital media, is ubiquitous and is an important part of daily activity in the current information era. A longer time spent in SSB was significantly associated with lower fitness, overweight or obesity, depression, inattention, shortened sleep duration, and cardiovascular disease risk factors in children or adolescents [1,2,3,4,5,6], independent of meeting or not meeting the recommended level of physical activity [7, 8]. Few studies have explored and confirmed the modifiable correlates of prolonged ST, especially for new screen devices, such as cell phones and pads/tablets, in children in developing countries [18]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
