Prevalence and correlates of excessive recreational screen time among Colombian children and adolescents

Oral Presentation C11.2

Authors

  • Silvia A. González Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute; University of Ottawa
  • Olga L. Sarmiento Universidad de los Andes
  • Alberto Flórez Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
  • Peter Katzmarzyk Pennington Biomedical Research Center
  • Jean-Philippe Chaput Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute; University of Ottawa
  • Mark S. Tremblay Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute; University of Ottawa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.711

Keywords:

Sedentary Behaviours, Surveillance, Screen Time, Children, Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Excessive recreational screen time (RST) is associated with detrimental effects for physical, psychological and cognitive development. Purpose: This study aimed to describe the prevalence of RST time among Colombian preschoolers, children and adolescents and explore associated factors within a socioecological framework. Methods: We analyzed data from the Colombian National Survey of Nutrition 2015. The sample included 4,503 preschoolers, 5,333 school-aged children and 6,623 adolescents. Excessive RST was defined as engaging in >1 hour of RST among children under 5 years and >2 hours of RST among 5-year-olds and older. Poisson regression models with robust variance were conducted to estimate prevalence ratios and determine correlates of excessive RST. Results: Fifty percent of preschoolers, 61% of school-aged children and 73% of adolescents in Colombia had excessive RST. Positive associations were observed with availability of TV in the child’s bedroom, availability of video games at home, and eating while using screens. A negative association with rural area was observed for all age groups. Conclusions: The majority of Colombian children and adolescents have excessive RST. Younger preschoolers, older school-aged children, wealthiest children and those from urban areas should be targeted by interventions to decrease RST. These interventions should promote limiting the availability of electronic devices in children’s bedrooms and not eating in front of screens. Funding: SAG was funded by the Government of Ontario and the University of Ottawa through the Ontario Trillium Scholarship for doctoral studies.

Published

2021-09-30

How to Cite

González, S., Sarmiento, O., Flórez, A., Katzmarzyk, P., Chaput, J.-P., & Tremblay, M. (2021). Prevalence and correlates of excessive recreational screen time among Colombian children and adolescents: Oral Presentation C11.2. The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.711

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