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Longitudinal analysis of the bidirectional relationship between screen time and sleep: Exploring the role of physical

Elahe Nikooharf Salehi1, Charlotte Brakenridge2, Saeed Jaydarifard3

  • 1School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Sleep Medicine
|January 9, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Screen time and sleep duration influence each other cyclically in children aged 10-12. Physical activity can lessen these negative impacts, suggesting interventions should target both screen habits and exercise.

Area of Science:

  • Child Health
  • Sleep Science
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Excessive screen time and insufficient sleep negatively affect children's health.
  • Understanding the interplay between screen time, sleep, and physical activity is crucial for promoting healthy child development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the bidirectional relationship between screen time and sleep duration in children.
  • To examine the mediating role of physical activity in the associations between screen time and sleep duration.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 2064 children from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC).
  • Employed cross-lagged panel modeling to analyze bidirectional associations between screen time and sleep duration.
  • Assessed the mediating role of physical activity using a lagged mediation model across ages 5, 10, and 12.

Main Results:

  • A bidirectional association between screen time and sleep duration was observed in children aged 10 to 12.
  • Screen time at age 10 predicted sleep duration at age 12 (β = -0.071), and sleep duration at age 10 predicted screen time at age 12 (β = -0.048).
  • Increased physical activity at age 12 mitigated the negative impacts of both screen time on sleep and sleep on screen time.

Conclusions:

  • Screen time and sleep duration exhibit a cyclical influence on each other over time in children.
  • Interventions focusing on reducing screen time and enhancing physical activity may help counteract negative effects on sleep.
  • Promoting physical activity is key to mitigating the detrimental relationship between screen time and sleep duration.
Abstract

Keywords:
BidirectionalLongitudinalPhysical activityReciprocalScreen timeSleep

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