title: The effect of interventions targeting screen time reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: Previous studies have evaluated the effectiveness of interventions aimed at screen time reduction, but the results have been inconsistent. We therefore conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to summarize the accumulating evidence of the impact of interventions targeting screen time reduction on body mass index (BMI) reduction and screen time reduction. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases were searched for RCTs on the effect of interventions targeting screen time reduction. The primary and secondary outcomes were the mean difference between the treatment and control groups in the changes in BMI and changes in screen viewing time. A random effects model was used to calculate the pooled mean differences. Fourteen trials including 2238 participants were assessed. The pooled analysis suggested that interventions targeting screen time reduction had a significant effect on BMI reduction (-0.15 kg/m, P < 0.001, I = 0) and on screen time reduction (-4.63 h/w, P = 0.003, I = 94.6%). Subgroup analysis showed that a significant effect of screen time reduction was observed in studies in which the duration of intervention was <7 months and that the types of interventions in those studies were health promotion curricula or counseling. Interventions for screen time reduction might be effective in reducing screen time and preventing excess weight. Further rigorous investigations with larger samples and longer follow-up periods are still needed to evaluate the efficacy of screen time reduction both in children and in adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Geriatrics, Beijing Key Laboratory of Aging and Geriatrics, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China Department of Bioengineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX State Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Department of Acupuncture, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Samio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003201:Computers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D013690:Television / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D018910:Video Games