For a study, researchers sought to investigate the association between screen time and teenagers’ risk of overweight/obesity. Until September 2021, a systematic search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, was conducted. All published research examining screen time and adolescent overweight/obesity risk was collected. Ultimately, 44 studies that satisfied the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The 2-class meta-analysis revealed that adolescents in the highest category of screen time were 1.27 times more likely to acquire overweight/obesity (OR=1.273; 95% CI=1.166–1.390; P<0.001; I-squared (variation in ES attributable to heterogeneity)=82.1%). The subgrouping results revealed that the continent and context were potential drivers of variation. In addition, there was no evidence of a non-linear relationship between increased screen time and the incidence of overweight/obesity among teenagers (P-nonlinearity=0.311). Without dose-response data, the current systematic review and meta-analysis revealed for the first time a positive connection between screen time and overweight/obesity among teenagers.

Source – bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-022-01761-4

Author