title: Higher screen time is associated with overweight, poor dietary habits and physical inactivity in Brazilian adolescents, mainly among girls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the associations between high screen time and overweight, poor dietary habits and physical activity in adolescents according to sex.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised 515 boys and 716 girls aged 14-17 years from Londrina, Brazil. Nutritional status (normal weight or overweight/obese) was assessed by calculating the body mass index. Eating habits and time spent in physical activity were reported using a questionnaire. The measurement of screen time considered the time spent watching television, using a computer and playing video games during a normal week. Associations between high screen time and dependent variables (nutritional status, eating habits and physical activity levels) were assessed by binary logistic regression, adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most adolescents (93.8% of boys and 87.2% of girls) spent more than 2 hours per day in screen-time activities. After adjustments, an increasing trend in the prevalence of overweight and physical inactivity with increasing time spent on screen activities was observed for both sexes. Screen times of >4 hours/day compared with <2 hours/day were associated with physical inactivity, low consumption of vegetables and high consumption of sweets only in girls and the consumption of soft drinks in both sexes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of overweight and physical inactivity increased with increasing screen time in a trending manner and independently of the main confounders. The relationship between high screen time and poor eating habits was particularly relevant for adolescent girls.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Education , UNESP Universidade Estadual Paulista , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: Diego Giulliano Destro
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Christofaro
authors.affiliation: b Department of Public Health , Universidade Estadual de Londrina , Londrina , Parana , Brazil.
authors.forename: Selma Maffei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: De Andrade
authors.affiliation: b Department of Public Health , Universidade Estadual de Londrina , Londrina , Parana , Brazil.
authors.forename: Arthur Eumann
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Mesas
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physical Education , UNESP Universidade Estadual Paulista , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: Rômulo Araújo
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: c Department of Physical Education , Universidade Federal da Paraíba , João Pessoa , Paraíba , Brazil.
authors.forename: José Cazuza
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Farias Júnior
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D003201:Computers; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D013690:Television; D018910:Video Games
keywords: Screen time; eating habits; obesity; physical activity