Exposure to screens, being overweight and physical deconditioning in children

Background. Being overweight or obese presents serious health problems. Physical activity levels determine cardiorespiratory fitness. Data relating to overweight, obesity and exposure to screens are not conclusive. Methods. Children aged between 10 and 12 years were surveyed about screen-time. In addition, physical and functional measurements were undertaken. Results. 325 children participated in the study. The mean screen-time was 4.96 hours per day, boys having more screen exposure than girls. Overweight prevalence was 22.8% and obesity 2.8%. In this investigation there were no anthropometric differences between subjects with screen time higher or lower than 2 hours per day. Conclusions. The number of hours of screen-time that children are exposed to is high. Adapted from the source document.