Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Dec 16, 2020
Date Accepted: May 6, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Feb 10, 2022
Digital Technology Use and Body Mass Index: Evidence From Cross-sectional Analysis of an Adolescent Cohort Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Use of digital technology such as mobile phones is ubiquitous in adolescents. However, excessive usage may have adverse health effects, possibly partially mediated by disruptions to sleep.
Objective:
We aimed to assess the social predictors of digital technology use and their cross-sectional association with body mass index (BMI) z-score and being overweight in a large sample of adolescents.
Methods:
We used baseline data from a subset of a large adolescent cohort from 39 schools across Greater London who participated in the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (n=1,473). Digital technology use included phone calls, internet use on mobile phones, and video gaming on any device. Multi-level regression was used to assess the associations between digital technology use and age- and sex-specific BMI z-score and being overweight (including obesity). Measures were derived from height and weight, obtained by the Tanita BC-418 Body Composition Analyser. We examined whether the associations were mediated by insufficient sleep.
Results:
Generally, participants with lower socioeconomic status (SES) reported more use of digital technology. Controlling for SES, internet use on mobile phones for more than 3 h per day was associated with higher BMI z-score (adjusted β=0.30, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.11, 0.48) and greater odds of being overweight (adjusted odds ratio=1.60, 95% CI 1.09, 2.34), compared with low use (≤30 min). Similar associations between video gaming and BMI z-score and being overweight were found. BMI z-score was more strongly related to weekday digital technology use (internet use on mobile phones and video gaming) than weekend use. Insufficient sleep partly mediated the associations between digital technology use and BMI z-score (proportion of mediation from 8.6% to 17.8%) by an indirect effect.
Conclusions:
We found an association between digital technology use and BMI in adolescents, partly mediated by insufficient sleep, suggesting underlying mechanisms may be multi-factorial. Further research with longitudinal data is essential to explore the direction of relationships.
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