The Study
Association between abdominal obesity, screen time and sleep in adolescents
This study looked at a group of teens and found that those with more belly fat also tended to spend more time on screens and sleep less. But it didn't watch them over time, so we don't know if screens made them gain fat, or if having more fat made them sit around more. It's like noticing that people who eat ice cream also swim a lot — but that doesn't mean ice cream makes you swim.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Teens who spend lots of time on screens or don’t sleep enough are more likely to have extra fat around their waist, and they also tend to eat more junk food and less healthy food.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — these habits are common among teens and could increase long-term risk for heart disease and diabetes.
- 2Teens with 3+ hours of screen time were 1.4x more likely to have belly fat; those with high body fat were 2.8x more likely; those who finished puberty were 2.5x more likely; poor sleep linked to eating less healthy food.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Jornal de Pediatria
Year
2022
Authors
I. Oliveira, Nathália Maximiano Soares Maciel, B. Costa, A. D. N. Soares, J. M. G. Gomes
Related Content
Claims (6)
Brazilian adolescents aged 14–19 who spend 3 or more hours per day on screens have a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity measured by waist circumference compared to those who spend less time on screens.
Brazilian adolescents aged 14–19 who sleep less are more likely to have abdominal obesity compared to those who sleep more.
Brazilian adolescents aged 14–19 who have completed puberty have a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity compared to those who have not.
In Brazilian adolescents aged 14–19, higher body fat percentage is linked to greater abdominal fat accumulation.
Brazilian adolescents aged 14–19 who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods tend to spend 3 or more hours per day on screens, and those who eat little in the way of unprocessed or minimally processed foods tend to sleep less.
Cortisol levels raised by caffeine, poor sleep, and screen exposure are associated with higher anxiety, worse sleep, more abdominal fat, and lower testosterone in humans.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.