Table 2 The characteristics of the studies included in the two-class meta-analysis regarding the odds of central obesity in children and adolescents with high screen time versus low screen time
Journal / Year | First author | Country | Setting/ num | Age (y) | Central obesity definition | Screen tools | High screen time definition | Adjusted covariates | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BMC Public Health/ 2020 | Zhang Y [39] | China | School/ 2264 | 12–15 | WC ≥ 90th percentile | TV, PC, VG |  ≥ 2 h /d | Age, sex, being the single child, ethnic minority, fruit and vegetable intake, sleep time, parents’ education, and fathers’ occupation | Non-significant increase in odds of central obesity in people with more than 2 h of screen time compared to those with less than 2 h of screen time (OR 1.31; 95% CI = 0.81–2.11) |
Revista Paulista de Pediatria/ 2020 | De Lima TR[38] | Brazil | School/ 583 | 11–17 | WC ≥ 90th percentile | TV, PC, VG |  ≥ 4 h /d | Gender, maternal schooling, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking | No significant association between odds of central obesity and screen time |
Int J Env Res Public Health/ 2019 | Kerkadi A [26] | Qatar | Community/ 1161 | 14–18 | WHR > 0.5 and WC ≥ 90th percentile | TV, PC, VG |  ≥ 2 h /d | Age, nationality | Non- significant increase in odds of central obesity in higher than 2 h ST versus lower than 2 h (OR 1.11; 95% CI = 0.83–1.42) |
Revista Paulista de Pediatria/ 2016* | Castro JAC [9] | Brazil | School/ 930 | 14–19 | WC ≥ 85th percentile | TV, PC, VG |  ≥ 2 h /d | Gender, skin color, and age in the distal block, economic level, maternal education, and school shift in the intermediate block, and physical activity, alcohol consumption, soft drink consumption, sleep, and sedentary behavior in distal block | Significantly higher odds of central obesity in those with higher than 2 h/d TV watching time versus those with the lower than 2 h/d TV watching time (OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.08–4.13; P = 0.02). This association was not significant for PC (OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.40–1.07; P = 0.09) or VG (OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.40–1.07; P = 0.78) |
J Nurs Res/ 2013 | Huang HM [34] | Taiwan | Community/ 275 | 9–10 | WHR > 0.5 | TV, PC games, internet |  ≥ 2 h /d |  | Significantly higher odds of central obesity in people watching TV for more than 2 h compared to those with less than 2 h (OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.09–2.48; P = 0.016). This association for PC was non-significant (OR 1.56; 95% CI 0.87–2.67; P = 0.130) |
Pediatrics/ 2012 | Byun W [33] | Korea | Community/ 577 | 12–18 | WC ≥ 85th percentile | PC, Video games |  ≥ 1 h /d | Age, sex, annual household income, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity | Higher odds of central obesity in those with high daily TV watching (OR 1.27; 95% CI = 1.06–1.51) and high daily PC use and playing video games (OR 1.20; 95% CI = 1.03–1.40) |