Children's screen time linked to diabetes risk factors

Conclusion This cross sectional study aimed to investigate the association between markers for type 2 diabetes and the amount of screen time a child has. The study found an association between higher levels of screen time and higher body fat and insulin resistance. However, as mentioned, this type of study is not able to prove cause and effect. It is most likely not the screen time itself that is the cause of these factors, more that this could indicate a generally less healthy and more sedentary lifestyle. A similar link might be found for children who spend more time reading books instead of taking physical activity. The researchers have tried to adjust for physical activity and socioeconomic status that could be influencing the link. However, it is possible that some confounding remains in the model or that other important factors were missed – diet being a notable possibility. It's also possible that children who reported more screen time may have had other health conditions which were not accounted for in the analysis that could have increased their risk. Other important limitations are that the amount of screen time was self-reported and children may not have remembered or reported this accurately. The measures of body fat and blood glucose control were also one-off measurements taken at single point in time. They don't tell us that the child will go on to develop type 2 diabetes. Nevertheless the study suggests a reduction in screen time could be beneficial in improv...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Pregnancy/child Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news