Screen Exposure and Childhood Adiposity in Socially Vulnerable Settings: Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Obesity Research
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Screen-based media use is rising among children, especially in lower socioeconomic groups.
• This trend is associated with obesogenic habits, necessitating research in vulnerable populations.
• The Educational Territories of Priority Intervention program highlights socially vulnerable contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between screen-based media use and adiposity in primary schoolchildren from socially vulnerable settings.
• To identify specific domains of screen use that correlate with adiposity markers.

Main Methods:

• The BeE-school Project included 735 primary schoolchildren from vulnerable areas in northern Portugal.
• Adiposity was assessed using BMI z scores and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR).
• Screen-based media use was measured via the ScreenQ tool, assessing access, frequency, content, and co-viewing.

Main Results:

• Higher screen-based media use scores correlated with increased BMI z scores and WHtR.
• These associations remained significant after adjusting for sex, age, and parental factors.
• Screen access, frequency of use, and media content domains showed significant links to adiposity.

Conclusions:

• Screen-based media use is a significant factor associated with higher adiposity in vulnerable children.
• Interventions should focus on reducing screen access, limiting use frequency, and curating media content.
• Obesity prevention strategies must incorporate these screen time-related factors for vulnerable groups.