Investigating the influence of eating habits, body weight and television programme preferences on television viewing time and domestic computer usage

Abstract

In order to reduce total screen time, health interventions should target different types of screen viewing audiences separately.

An empirical investigation of the impact of smoking on body weight using an endogenous treatment effects model approach: the role of food consumption patterns

“…Seven indicators were included in this scale to measure consumption frequencies of specific food groups, such as wholegrain bread (including multigrain bread, wholegrain and multigrain rolls), white-toasted bread (white bread and rolls), fresh fruit, fresh and frozen vegetables, meat and processed meat products (e.g., sausages), deep fried foods (e.g., chips and crisps), and confectionery (sweets, cakes, biscuits, pastries). These indicators were constructed for GESIS-General Social Surveys and mapped basic nutritional categories [ 49 , 51 ]. All the items were scored on a seven-point frequency scale ranging from several times a day to never (several times a day, every day/almost every day, several times a week, about once a week, two or three times a month, once a month or less often, or never).…”

Association between screen time and obesity in US adolescents: A cross-sectional analysis using National Survey of Children’s Health 2016–2017

“…Differences related to screen activity type may be explained by other activities done at the same time, such as eating while watching television, which is less likely when using the computer [ 32 ]. Additionally, TV viewing is a passive activity that often takes an hour or more at a time, while most computer use requires active interaction, and may be done for short but recurring periods.…”

“…However, some questions remain to be answered, especially regarding the difference in the association between males and females, which was examined in few studies with inconsistent findings [ 29 , 31 , 34 , 35 ]. Additionally, the potential interaction between screen time and other risk factors for obesity, namely physical activity and sleep duration, has not been adequately explored in adolescents, although a few studies indicated that adequate physical activity may attenuate the effects of increased screen time [ 32 , 37 , 38 ].…”

“…This brings up the question of whether time spent in front of computers compared with time spent watching television or playing video games has a similar effect on weight. Few studies have examined differences by type of screen-related activity with inconsistent findings, with some indicating that time spent on TV but not on computer is associated with obesity [31][32][33], while others showing an association between computer time and BMI [34]. The difference in results may be due to the difference in population characteristics, as the first three studies that found no association between computer use and BMI conducted in Germany, Brazil, and Finland, while the study that found an association was conducted in the US.…”