BACKGROUND: Today's children spend a great deal of time viewing electronic screen material, but the consequences of such behaviors, if any, are unknown. This study sought to identify (i) the magnitude of total daily electronic screen time and (ii) the relations between electronic screen use and mental well-being indicators, in a sample of 10-12-year-old children. METHODS: We analysed cross-sectional, population-based data of 10-12-year-old children from the 2007 Youth in Iceland school survey (n = 10,829, response rate: 81.7%, boys: 50.5%). Logistic regression models with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were conducted to assess the odds of each selected mental well-being indicator, depending on the number of daily hours spent on each electronic screen-based activity. All analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls and adjusted for family structure. RESULTS: The prevalence of self-reported screen use of 4 hours per day or more ranges from 2.8% to 6.6% among boys and from 1.0% to 3.8% among girls. All five screen-based activities were significantly associated with all seven well-being indicators (P < 0.001) with symptoms being more common with increased time spent on screen use. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first of its kind to demonstrate a dose-response relationship between electronic screen use and mental well-being in 10-12-year-old children. Further research is needed to assess the validity and potential implications of these findings.
BACKGROUND: Today's children spend a great deal of time viewing electronic screen material, but the consequences of such behaviors, if any, are unknown. This study sought to identify (i) the magnitude of total daily electronic screen time and (ii) the relations between electronic screen use and mental well-being indicators, in a sample of 10-12-year-old children. METHODS: We analysed cross-sectional, population-based data of 10-12-year-old children from the 2007 Youth in Iceland school survey (n = 10,829, response rate: 81.7%, boys: 50.5%). Logistic regression models with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were conducted to assess the odds of each selected mental well-being indicator, depending on the number of daily hours spent on each electronic screen-based activity. All analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls and adjusted for family structure. RESULTS: The prevalence of self-reported screen use of 4 hours per day or more ranges from 2.8% to 6.6% among boys and from 1.0% to 3.8% among girls. All five screen-based activities were significantly associated with all seven well-being indicators (P < 0.001) with symptoms being more common with increased time spent on screen use. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first of its kind to demonstrate a dose-response relationship between electronic screen use and mental well-being in 10-12-year-old children. Further research is needed to assess the validity and potential implications of these findings.
Authors: Daniela Brindova; Zuzana Dankulincova Veselska; Daniel Klein; Zdenek Hamrik; Dagmar Sigmundova; Jitse P van Dijk; Sijmen A Reijneveld; Andrea Madarasova Geckova Journal: Int J Public Health Date: 2014-12-10 Impact factor: 3.380
Authors: Jasmin M Alves; Alexandra G Yunker; Alexis DeFendis; Anny H Xiang; Kathleen A Page Journal: Pediatr Obes Date: 2021-03-15 Impact factor: 3.910
Authors: Ingunn H Bergh; Maartje M van Stralen; Mona Bjelland; May Grydeland; Nanna Lien; Knut-Inge Klepp; Sigmund A Anderssen; Yngvar Ommundsen Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2014-02-25 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Stephen Houghton; Simon C Hunter; Michael Rosenberg; Lisa Wood; Corinne Zadow; Karen Martin; Trevor Shilton Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2015-01-22 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Michael Rosenberg; Stephen Houghton; Simon C Hunter; Corinne Zadow; Trevor Shilton; Lisa Wood; David Lawrence Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2018-03-07 Impact factor: 3.295