Use of Social Networking Sites and Adherence to Physical Activity and Screen Time Recommendations in Adolescents
in Journal of Physical Activity and HealthClick name to view affiliation
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Background:
Adolescents are recommended to achieve ≥ 60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA) and ≤2 h/day of screen time (ST). This study examined the relationships between the use of social networking sites (SNSs) and adherence to PA and ST recommendations in a large sample of Canadian adolescents.
Methods:
This cross-sectional school-based survey included a representative sample of 9388 students in grades 7 to 12 across Ontario, Canada.
Results:
After adjustment for several confounding variables, results showed that male adolescents who use SNSs for fewer hours (≤ 1 h/day) had greater odds of adherence to PA and to both PA and ST recommendations concurrently, while those who use it for more hours (≥ 3 h/day) had lower odds of adherence to the ST recommendation. Female adolescents who use SNSs for more hours had lower odds of adherence to the ST recommendation (use of SNSs ≥ 2 h/day) and to both PA and ST recommendations concurrently (use of SNSs ≥ 5 h/day).
Conclusions:
Heavy use of SNSs has a negative influence on the adherence to the ST recommendation in both males and females; however, infrequent use of SNSs was related to the adherence to the PA recommendation and concurrent adherence to both recommendations in males only.
Sampasa-Kanyinga (hugues.sampasa@ottawa.ca) is with Ottawa Public Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Chaput is with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the Dept of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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