Eating Behavior, Sleep Disorders and Digital Game Addiction in Children and Determination of Associated Factors by CHAID Analysis

Abstract

Background: Healthy nutrition and good quality sleep are one of the most important factors for growth and development in a child. Digital game addiction may cause some problematic behaviors and affect children's nutrition and sleep. We aimed to investigate the relationship between digital game addiction, eating behavior, and sleep disorders in children. Methods: The study was conducted with 252 mothers with children between the ages of 4-7 years, selected by convenient sampling methods. The Digital Game Addiction Scale, Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire and The Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) were used to collect data. The correlation coefficient and the decision tree CHAID algorithm were used in the data analysis. Results: Digital game addiction negatively affects children's eating behavior and sleep patterns. It was found that there was a mostly positive but weakly significant relationship between digital game addiction and children's eating behaviors (P<.01; P<.05) and a highly significant relationship was found between the sleep disorder scale sleep hyperhidrosis sub-dimension (P<.05). While digital game addiction is affected by gender, the mother's education level, and eating behavior are affected by the mother's age, the parent's education level, and the child's gender (P<.05). The child's age is the variable that affects the children's sleep disorder (P<.05). Conclusion: Intervention programs for children and families can be created for the causes of digital game addiction, its effects on child development and the correct use of the digital world.