The Associations Between Screen Time, Sleep Duration, and Body Mass Index (BMI) in Under Five-Year-Old Children

Today, due to recent developments in technology, children devote plenty of time to screen viewing. However, its harmful effects are not yet clear. The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations between screen viewing, sleep duration, and body mass index (BMI) in under-five-year-old children. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 322 under-five healthy children that were selected using a multistage stratified cluster sampling method in 2017. The data gathered by the time-use diary method were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Spearman Correlation test, Multiple Linear Regression Analysis, one-way ANCOVA, and two-way ANCOVA. There was a negative correlation between screen time and sleep duration (P < 0.001), a positive correlation between screen time and BMI (P < 0.001), and a negative correlation between sleep duration and BMI (P < 0.001). Screen viewing was a predictive factor for both sleep duration (P < 0.001) and BMI (P < 0.001). Screen viewing had a significant impact on sleep duration (P = 0.001) and BMI (P = 0.298). The results of this study indicate that screen viewing is related to sleep duration and BMI in under-five-year-old children. Furthermore, screen time has an impact on sleep duration and BMI of children.