Media device ownership and media use: Associations with sedentary time, physical activity and fitness in English youth

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether ownership and use of electronic media were associated with sedentary time and cardiorespiratory fitness (fitness) in youth. We also aimed to determine if associations were independent of physical activity (PA).Fitness was measured using the 20 m shuttle-run. PA, sedentary time, ownership of media devices and media use were self-reported.Participants (n = 678, age 10–15 years) reported daily sedentary time of 620 (± 210) min. Forty-one percent of participants had low PA and 50.4% had low fitness.Higher weekend sedentary time was associated with low fitness in girls (p = 0.005) and boys (p < 0.001) and remained significant when adjusted for PA in the latter (p = 0.006). Using social media was associated with higher sedentary time in both sexes and low fitness in girls. High sedentary time was more likely (OR = 5.3, 95%CI: 2.0–14.4) in boys who owned game consoles. Low fitness was more likely in boys who owned digital/satellite TV receivers (OR = 1.8, 95%CI: 1.8–3.2).Schoolchildren spent > 10 h or ~ 85% of each waking day sedentary. Use of social media was associated with higher sedentary time in both sexes and with low fitness in girls. Reducing social media use in youth offers one potential target for intervention. Behaviours associated with sedentary time differed from predictors of low fitness. The complex and often sex-specific interactions identified between sedentary time, PA and fitness suggest the need for carefully targeted interventions to reduce sedentary time and improve fitness in English youth.

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.…”

School-based Interventions to Reduce Sedentary Behaviour in Children: A Systematic Review

“…In general, children become more sedentary with increasing age [14] . These general increases in sedentary behaviour may be due in part to increased use of computers, smart phones and engagement in social media [15] . In particular, middle childhood and adolescence (9–15 years) has been identified as a life transition or key stage in maturation when parental influence begins to wane and the influence of peers becomes stronger [16] .…”

Public views of different sources of health advice:pharmacists, social media and mobile health applications

“…Technological advances are often cited as one of the key reasons why many are living sedentary lifestyles . The public appear to be unaware of the impact their lifestyle is having on their health .…”

“…Technological advances are often cited as one of the key reasons why many are living sedentary lifestyles. [10,11] The public appear to be unaware of the impact their lifestyle is having on their health. [12] Young people in particular are at risk, with those born during the first decade of the 21st century being nicknamed 'digital natives' [13] having lived their whole lives with the Internet.…”