The association between obesity and problematic smartphone use among school-age children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study in Shanghai

BMC Public Health

Zhicong Ma¹  Jiangqi Wang¹  Yingnan Jia²  Jiang Li² 

[1] School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education, Fudan University, 200032, Shanghai, China;School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education, Fudan University, 200032, Shanghai, China;Health Communication Institute, Fudan University, 200032, Shanghai, China;

关键词: Obesity;    Problematic smartphone use;    Children;    Adolescents;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-021-12124-6

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe study aimed to investigate the association between content-based problematic smartphone use and obesity in school-age children and adolescents, including variations in the association by educational stage and sex.MethodsTwo-stage non-probability sampling was used to recruit 8419 participants from nineteen primary schools, five middle schools, and thirteen high schools in Shanghai in December 2017. Obesity was identified by body mass index (BMI), which was obtained from the school physical examination record, while problematic smartphone use was measured by the Revised Problematic Smartphone Use Classification Scale as the independent variable.ResultsThe rates of obesity varied with educational stages, while problematic smartphone use increased with educational stages. Male students reported higher obesity rates (37.1%vs19.4%, P < 0.001) and greater problematic smartphone use scores (25.65 ± 10.37 vs 22.88 ± 8.94, P < 0.001) than female students. Problematic smartphone use for entertainment (smartphone users addicted to entertainment games, music, videos, novels and other applications) was positively associated to obesity status for primary school [odds ratio (OR), 1.030; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.005–1.057] and high school students (OR, 1.031; 95% CI, 1.004–1.059). For female students, problematic smartphone use for entertainment was positively associated with obesity status (OR, 1.046; 95% CI, 1.018–1.075).ConclusionsProblematic smartphone use may be associated with obesity in children and adolescents. The association differed based on the educational stage and sex, and the difference possessed dimensional specificity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY