Electronic media time and sedentary behaviors in children: Findings from the Built Environment and Active Play Study in the Washington DC area

Abstract

An objective of the Built Environment and Active Play (BEAP) Study was to examine whether home built environment, bedroom electronic presence, parental rules and demographics predicted children's sedentary behavior (SB). In 2014, BEAP Study questionnaires were mailed to 2000 parents of children (7–12 years) within the Washington DC area. SB-Duration (hours/day) and SB-Frequency (days/week) were assessed by two questions with multiple subparts relating to SB activity type (e.g. car riding) and SB companionship (e.g. friends). Built environment, bedroom electronic presence, parental rules and demographic data were obtained through questionnaire items and ordered logistic regression models were used to examine whether these variables were associated with SB. Study sample included 144 children (female (50%); average age (9.7 years); White (56.3%); Black/African-American (23.7%); Asian-Americans (10.4%)). Nearly 40% of the sample reported daily solitary SB with car riding being the most frequently reported type of SB. Children living on streets without a dead-end/cul-de-sac exhibited a higher odds in SB-Duration using electric media [2.61 (CI: 1.31, 5.18)] and having no television in a child's bedroom was associated with a lower odds in SB-Frequency [0.048 (CI: 0.006, 0.393)] and SB-Duration [0.085 (CI: 0.018, 0.395)]. Non-Hispanic/Latino children were also found to have higher odds in solitary SB-Frequency when parental rules of electronic use were modeled [8.56 (CI: 1.11, 66.01)]. Based on results from this cross-sectional study, home neighborhood built environment, bedroom electronic presence and absence of parental rules can significantly predict children's SB.

Leisure‐Time Sedentary Behavior and Obesity Among 116,762 Adolescents Aged 12‐15 Years from 41 Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

“…Conversely, in lower‐income countries in which exposure to such devices might be a recent development, their negative effects may still be acute and may increase as the rates of ownership increase . This may explain the current study’s finding that SB was particularly strongly related to obesity in low‐income countries, as among young people, ownership of devices such as televisions and game consoles has been linked to SB . As such, it may be that in low‐income countries, SB is a sign of wealth and is observed through obesogenic activities like snacking, whereas in middle‐income countries, it is already common to snack such that obesity is no longer strongly associated with SB.…”

“…The fact that this study did not take into account other types of SB could have led to the discrepant results. Furthermore, in a study among adolescents in a high‐income country (England), those with low socioeconomic position spent more time watching television compared with their higher‐socioeconomic‐position counterparts, whereas the reverse was true for all other types of SB (i.e., homework, drawing, and time spent on the computer; accelerometer measured) . This suggests that family income level may affect types of SB differently, which may in turn affect the SB and obesity relationship.…”

Activities in Nature: How Frequent Is the Contact of Contemporary Children With the Natural World?

“…Many causes could be driving this disconnection between children and the out-of-doors, such as the over-dependence on digital technology, including TVs, video games, and social media ( [8] Roberts, Rodkey, Ray, Knight, & Saelens, 2017). In the same manner, [9] Pergams & Zaradic (2006) blame the increasing use of video games and Internet as potential reasons for the departure of children from nature.…”

Obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and video games: The new thrombophilia cocktail in adolescents

“…Children and adolescents spend 8 hr/day on average engaging in sedentary behavior including watching television, playing videogames, and participating in other electronic activities. 7 Given the pediatric VTE direct mortality rate of 2% and risk for post-thrombotic syndrome of 26%, 8,9 it is important to understand underlying modifiable risk factors in order for us to be able to work towards prevention of thrombotic events in this population. We present a case series of four adolescent obese males who developed VTEs in the setting of excessive sedentary behavior, specifically prolonged video game use, among other risk factors.…”