Association between childhood screen exposure and pediatric obesity: a literature review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Most children are exposed to screens and digital media early and for a longer period than recommended by scientific societies. This phenomenon has several harmful consequences for the health and development of children. Pediatric obesity has been highlighted as one of these effects, which may be related to exposure to screens as a sedentary behavior. OBJECTIVES: To search for and describe the evidence in the literature on the relationship between pediatric obesity and exposure to screens in childhood. METHODOLOGY: A non-systematic literature review was performed including articles published between 2018 and 2022 in the following databases: Cochrane, PubMed, Scielo and Lilacs. The terms “screen time” and “pediatric obesity” were used as descriptors. RESULTS: Associations were found between screen exposure time and increased waist circumference, body mass index (BMI) and childhood obesity stage. In addition, the use of screens mediated the positive relationship between obesity and the social status of the childrens neighborhood, as well as the relationship between obesity and asthma. CONCLUSION: Most of the evaluated studies demonstrated a positive association between the use of screens by children and the occurrence of obesity in pediatrics.