Skip to main content

Table 3 Summary of relationships between screen time and health risks by health issues and study design, and lower ends of screen-time cutoffs with significantly raised risks

From: Screen time and health issues in Chinese school-aged children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Health issue

Research design

All

Relationship typea

Lower ends of significant cutoffsb (k)

+

-

0

?

Adiposity

Intervention

1

0

0

1

0

TV: ≤1 h/d (5), ≤ 1.5 h/d (1), ≤2 h/d (4); C: ≤1 h/d (1), ≤2 h/d (2); G: ≤2 h/d (1); ST: ≤1 h/d (1), ≤2 h/d (7)

Longitudinal

4

2

0

0

2

Case-control

8

7

0

1

0

Cross-sectional

76

36

0

15

25

Total

89

45

0

17

27

Myopia,

Longitudinal

3

0

0

2

1

TV: ≤1 h/d (2), ≤2 h/d (1); C ≤ 1 h/time (1), ≤1 h/d (1), ≤2 h/d (1), ≤3 h/d (1); I: ≤ 2 h/d; non-TV ST: ≤1 h/d (1), ≤3 h/d (1); ST: 0 h/d (1), ≤ 0.5 h/d (2), ≤1 h/d (2), ≤2 h/d (2); ≤3 h/d (2).

Case-control

4

4

0

0

0

Cross-sectional

69

41

1

10

17

Total

76

45

1

12

18

Psycho-behavioral problems,

Intervention

1

1

0

0

0

TV: ≤1 h/d (2); I: entertainment 0 h/week (1), chatting 0 h/week (0), ≤ 10 h/week (1); G: ≤2 h/time (1); M: ≤20 min/d (1); ≤1 h/weekday (1), ≤1 h/weekend day (1); ST: ≤2 h/weekday (1), ≤2 h/weekend day (1), ≤2 h/d (5).

Longitudinal

2

2

0

0

0

Cross-sectional

41

34

0

2

5

Total

44

37

0

2

5

Cardio-metabolic disease risks

Case-control

1

1

0

0

0

TV: < 14 h/week (1); C: < 7 h/week (1); M: ≤3.5 h/week (1), ≤ 6 h/week (1); ST: ≤1 h/d (1), ≤2 h/d (3).

Cross-sectional

9

5

0

2

2

Total

10

6

0

2

2

Poor academic performance

Longitudinal

3

2

0

0

1

M: < 1 h/weekday (1), < 1 h/weekend day (1); non-TV ST: ≤1 h/d (1).

Cross-sectional

6

6

0

0

0

Total

9

8

0

0

1

Sleep disorders

Cross-sectional

9

7

0

0

2

TV: ≤2 h/weekday (1), ≤2 h/weekend day (1), ≤2 h/bedtime (1); C ≤ 1 h/d (1).

Poor physical fitness

Cross-sectional

8

5

0

0

3

ST ≤ 2 h/d (3), ≤2 h/weekday (1), ≤2 h/weekend day (1).

Musculoskeletal injuries

Cross-sectional

8

6

0

0

2

C ≤ 4 h/d (1); M: ≤4 h/d (1); ST: ≤1040 h (1).

Sub-health

Cross-sectional

6

6

0

0

0

I: ≤1 h/d (2), <4 h/d (1); ST: ≤2 h/weekday (1), ≤2 h/weekend day (1)

Miscellaneous issues

Case-control

1

1

0

0

0

TV: <1 h/d (1)

Cross-sectional

8

4

0

2

2

Total

9

5

0

2

2

  1. h/d hours per day, h/week hours per week, C computer, M mobile phone, I internet, G electronic games, ST screen time, non-TV ST screen time excluding TV watching. The inconsistent cutoffs of “<” and “≤” were unified as “≤”
  2. a Relationship types: study findings showing positive (+), negative (-), null (0), and inconsistent (?) relationships between screen time and health risks
  3. b Lower ends of screen time cutoffs that associated with significantly reduced health risks when compared