Variations in Children's screen time behaviors by weight status among a mostly disadvantaged population

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Public Health Nutrition
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.
• Screen time is a modifiable behavior increasingly linked to adverse health outcomes, including obesity.
• Understanding specific screen time patterns in relation to weight status is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in various screen time types (passive, interactive, weekday, weekend) between children with overweight or obesity (OWOB) and normal weight (NW) children.
• To examine screen time adherence to guidelines within a disadvantaged population.
• To explore the role of demographic factors in screen time and weight status relationships.

Main Methods:

• A survey study involving 739 parent proxies of children aged 5-11 years from a socioeconomically disadvantaged population in the US South.
• Utilized the Movement Behavior Questionnaire - Child (MBQ-C) to measure passive and interactive screen time on weekdays and weekend days.
• Collected parent-reported child weight, height, and sociodemographic data; children were categorized as OWOB (≥85th BMI percentile) or NW (<85th BMI percentile).

Main Results:

• Children with OWOB reported significantly higher total screen time (364.3 min/day) compared to NW children (294.5 min/day).
• A greater proportion of NW children met sedentary screen time guidelines (≤2 hours/day) compared to OWOB children.
• The most substantial difference in screen time between weight groups was observed in passive screen time, particularly on weekdays.

Conclusions:

• Children with OWOB, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, exhibit higher overall and passive screen time, particularly on weekdays.
• The majority of children in this sample did not meet recommended screen time guidelines.
• Tailored interventions focusing on reducing overall and specific types of screen time (e.g., passive screen use on weekdays) are needed for children with OWOB.