Young Children's Screen Time and Obesity in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific: The Children's Healthy Living Program

Abstract

Screen time is associated with adverse health outcomes among young children, including obesity. The purpose of this study is to describe screen time in young children and relate it to obesity from five U.S. Affiliated Pacific jurisdictions in the Children's Healthy Living Program.In a sample of 3,331 children (2‐8 yo), mean overall screen time was 4.2 hours (h) per day (d) (sd=2.9), 4.1 h/d (sd=3.0) for weekdays, and 4.5 h/d (sd=3.3) for weekends. Mean time spent watching TV was 2.3 h/d (sd=1.4); playing inactive video games, 1.0 h/d (sd=1.2), and playing active video games, 0.9 h/d (sd=1.2). A linear regression model with screen time as the dependent variable found significant differences by child's sex, age, race, BMI status (based on CDC's definition of obesity), and jurisdiction. Mean screen time was higher by 0.43 h in girls than boys (p<.001), by 0.26 h in 6‐8 than 2‐5 year olds (p=0.01), and by 0.24 h in overweight/obese than healthy weight children (p=0.02). Mean screen time was higher among Asians and multiracial children than Whites (p<.001). Alaska had the lowest mean (3.3 h) while Guam the highest (4.9 h).Similar results were found for TV watching and playing active or inactive video games by sex, age, race and jurisdiction. Mean time on active video games was 0.11 h higher in overweight/obese than healthy weight children (p=0.02). Mean TV time was 0.1 h higher in overweight/obese than healthy weight children (p=0.06).Compared to healthy weight children, overweight/obese children had more screen time, and in particular, for playing active video games and TV viewing. Such findings have important intervention implications.