Use of screens, sedentary lifestyle, and physical activity in children under six years of age, during the period of preventive and compulsory social isolation in AMBA: online survey

Abstract

Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, children were confined to their homes. The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) region has the highest urban density in Argentina and has been the epicenter of COVID-19 infections and deaths. The objectives of this study are to characterize the habits of screen use, sedentary lifestyle and physical activity and describe their associations, in children under six years of age from AMBA, Argentina. analytical and cross-sectional study, in which data from the online survey (Google Forms®) were used. Through a non-probabilistic convenience sampling, fathers, mothers, legal guardians, and caregivers of children under six years of age were invited to participate. The survey was available during four months of the quarantine period and was made up of 31 questions about screen use, physical activity, and sedentary lifestyle of children. 256 surveys were answered, the majority (79.6%) were female and 50.8% in the age range of 31-40 years. The television is the most used and children begin to use touch screens from one year. The play time of adults with children and the time that they usually carry out activities such as reading a book or drawing is one to two hours per day. There was an association between owning the screen and using it for more hours. The lower the income level, the more time adults play with their children.