Risk of Obesity Among Children Aged 2–6 Years Who Had Prolonged Screen Time in Taiwan: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of obesity in preschool children with prolonged screen time in Taiwan. METHODS: Using a nationwide survey with random sampling, we collected information on 8378 preschool children aged 2–6 years among 206 preschools in Taiwan from 2016 to 2019. Socioeconomic data, body mass index, and lifestyle of the preschool children and their caregivers were compared among the groups of preschool children who had moderate and prolonged daily screen time. We used multiple log-binomial regression models to calculate the adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of obesity associated with prolonged screen time. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity in the preschool children was 13.1%, and the average screen time was 104.6 minutes. Children’s age, sleep hours, outdoor play time, sugar intake, snack eating before dinner, sleep disturbance, and obesity, as well as caregiver’s sex, age, education, screen time, exercise time and parent obesity were factors related to high screen time for preschool children. Compared with children with moderate screen time, children with prolonged screen time had a higher risk of obesity (PR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.18–1.79). With a 60-minute increase in screen time, the risk of obesity increased, with an PR of 1.10 (95% CI, 1.03–1.17). CONCLUSION: Preschool children with prolonged screen time had an increased risk of obesity in Taiwan. Interventions may be needed for this very susceptible population.