Skip to main content

Table 4 Proportion with low active play, high screen time, or both behaviors by weight status*

From: Active play and screen time in US children aged 4 to 11 years in relation to sociodemographic and weight status characteristics: a nationally representative cross-sectional analysis

Weight status

 

BMI < 95th percentile (non obese)

BMI ≥95th percentile (obese)

Percentage (95% confidence interval)†

Low active play §

Boys

 

4 to 11 years overall

30.1% (26.2% – 33.9%)

38.1% (29.2% – 47.0%) +

4–5 years

25.3% (19.3% – 31.2%)

37.6% (19.9% – 55.3%)

6–8 years

26.3% (21.2% – 31.5%)

21.7% (11.4% – 32.0%)

9–11 years

36.5% (28.6% – 44.5%)

53.3% (40.1% – 66.4%)**

High screen time ‡

4 to 11 years overall

67.9% (62.6% – 73.3%)

70.0% (63.4% – 76.6%)

4–5 years

62.8% (55.2% – 70.3%)

55.5% (40.2% – 70.6%)

6–8 years

64.2% (57.3% – 71.0%)

74.5% (64.1% – 84.9%)

9–11 years

74.6% (67.7% – 81.6%)

73.7% (63.6% – 83.8%)

Both low active play & high screen time

4 to 11 years overall

23.0% (19.3% – 26.7%)

28.5% (20.3% – 36.8%)

4–5 years

17.0% (11.3% – 22.7%)

30.3% (14.6% – 46.1%)

6–8 years

19.4% (15.2% – 23.6%)

16.2% (6.9% – 25.5%)

9–11 years

29.9% (21.9% – 37.9%)

38.6% (25.9% – 51.4%)

Low active play §

Girls

 

4 to 11 years overall

42.7% (38.0% – 47.4%)

47.9% (38.9% – 56.9%)

4–5 years

36.0% (30.1% – 41.9%)

32.2% (18.3% – 46.1%)

6–8 years

38.4% (33.1% – 43.6%)

49.0% (31.2% – 66.8%)

9–11 years

52.2% (44.7% – 59.7%)

53.6% (39.8% – 67.4%)

High screen time ‡

4 to 11 years overall

60.7% (56.8% – 64.6%)

72.0% (64.5% – 79.5%)***

4–5 years

55.0% (47.2% – 62.7%)

62.8% (47.7% – 77.9%)

6–8 years

60.5% (54.4% – 66.7%)

77.8% (68.4% – 87.1%)**

9–11 years

65.2% (59.1% – 71.2%)

72.0% (63.5% – 80.6%)

Both low active play & high screen time

4 to 11 years overall

27.5% (23.7% – 31.3%)

38.1% (30.3% – 45.9%)**

4–5 years

19.3% (14.7% – 23.8%)

21.2% (6.8% – 35.6%)

6–8 years

25.1% (20.5% – 29.7%)

40.1% (23.2% – 57.0%)

9–11 years

36.0% (28.9% – 43.1%)

43.7% (31.5% – 55.9%)

  1. Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared).
  2. *Proportion of boys and girls with low levels of active play, and/or greater than 2 hours per day of screen time by weight status and age category in the NHANES 2001–2004. Estimates are weighted to be representative of US children age 4 to 11 years.
  3. † Percentage (95% Confidence Interval) calculated accounting for complex survey design
  4. § low active play defined as reported to play or exercise hard enough to sweat or breathe hard <7 times per week.
  5. ‡high screen time defined as >2 hours per day. Screen time includes time spent watching television or videos, and using computers or computer-games.
  6. + Prevalence in obese children different than in non-obese children of the same age and gender: Wald Chi-square, p < 0.1.
  7. ** Prevalence in obese children significantly different than in non-obese children of the same age and gender: Wald Chi-square, p < 0.05.
  8. *** Prevalence in obese children significantly different than in non-obese children of the same age and gender: Wald Chi-square, p < 0.01.