Factors associated with screen time in Iranian children and adolescents: The CASPIAN-IV study

Abstract

Background:Prolonged screen time is frequent in children and adolescents. Implementing interventions to reduce physical inactivity needs to assess related determinants. This study aims to assess factors associated with screen time in a national sample of children and adolescents.Methods:This nationwide study was conducted among 14,880 students aged 6–18 years. Data collection was performed using questionnaires and physical examination. The World Health Organization-Global School Health Survey questionnaire was used. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between demographic variables, socioeconomic status (SES), family structure, physical activity, unhealthy eating habits, body mass index, and mental distress with screen time.Results:The participation rate was 90.6% (n = 13,486), 50.8% were male, and 75.6% lived in urban areas. Mean (standard deviation) age of participants was 12.47 (3.36) years. The SES, eating junk foods, urban residence, and age had significant association with screen time, watching television (TV), and computer use (P < 0.05). With increasing number of children, the odds ratio of watching TV reduced (P < 0.001). Statistically, significant association existed between obesity and increased time spent watching TV (P < 0.001). Girls spent less likely to use computer and to have prolonged screen time (P < 0.001). Participants in the sense of worthlessness were less likely to watch TV (P = 0.005). Screen time, watching TV, and using computer were higher in students with aggressive behaviors (P < 0.001); screen time was higher in those with insomnia.Conclusions:In this study, higher SES, unhealthy food habits, and living in urban areas, as well as aggressive behaviors and insomnia increased the risk of physical inactivity.

Associations between TV viewing, sitting time, physical activity and insomnia among 100,839 Brazilian adolescents

“…Despite some recent advancement in understanding the complex relationships, studies examining associations between physical activity, sedentary behavior and insomnia among adolescents in the low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) are scarce. In the only nation-wide study to date, screen time among adolescents from Iran was higher in those with insomnia (Mozafarian et al, 2017). Second, it remains to be explored in more detail how much time spent sitting and how much time spent watching TV are associated with insomnia and how much time spent physically active might be protective.…”

Association of screen time and physical activity with health-related quality of life in Iranian children and adolescents

“…They are both suggested as unhealthy behaviors which their longitudinal trends could continue into adulthood [12]. Previous studies have mentioned low PA and high ST in Iranian children and adolescents [13–16], as the mean of vigorous PA in Iranian adolescents and children was estimated to be 0.6 h/d in one study [17, 18]. Increased ST is an indicator of sedentary behaviors, and expresses situations with low energy expenditure of energy [19], namely the time spent watching television (TV), playing video games and leisure time computer work.…”

The Associated Factors of Prolonged Screen Time and Using Electronic Devices before Sleep among Elderly People in Shaanxi Province of China: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…There was no uniform standard for prolonged screen time. We referred to a previous study that defined prolonged screen time as daily screen time of more than four hours [ 28 ].…”

“…Recent evidence has suggested that prolonged screen time might be associated with higher income, non-intact family, urban residence, being male, poor sleep quality, bad self-reported health status, and obesity [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Despite important work in this area, the majority of current studies focus on screen time and the use of electronic devices before sleep among children and adolescents.…”