Association between Screen Time and Lifestyle Habits among Upper Elementary School Children
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This cross-sectional study examined the link between screen time and lifestyle habits in upper elementary school children. It included 400 elementary schoolchildren studying in the fifth and sixth grades in elementary (187 boys, 213 girls, age: 10-12 y) in Japan. Gender, obesity index, physical fitness score, screen time, and lifestyle habits related to breakfast, midnight snacks, exercise, and sleep were the study items. Using logistic regression analysis, we examined lifestyle habits factors and screen time as the dependent and independent variables, respectively. We found that >3 h of screen time was significantly associated with increased odds of eating breakfast sometimes or never (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 2.37 [1.05, 5.38]) and eating midnight snacks (2.72 [1.41, 5.23]). Additionally, the same factor significantly associated with <6 h of sleep (10.45 [2.78, 39.30]) and bedtime later than 10 pm (2.81 [1.43, 5.53]) and 11 pm (3.97 [1.95, 8.07]). These results hold true even after accounting for demographics, obesity index, and physical fitness score. Conversely, 2-3 h of screen time was significantly associated with sleep onset conditions (2.05 [1.17, 3.58]), whereas >3 h of screen time was not. Our results showed that increased screen time was associated with skipping breakfast, midnight snacks, sleep onset conditions, and less bedtime.
DOI: 10.3177/jnsv.71.248
Authors: Asami BABA, Rikako YOSHITAKE, Yumiko INOSE, Naomi OMI
Institutions: University of Tsukuba, Tokiwa University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4411768468