Screen time and sweet consumption in preschool children: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES

to analyze television and smartphone screen time and sweet consumption among preschool children in a capital city in northeastern Brazil.

METHODS

a cross-sectional study was conducted with 175 caregivers of children aged 1 to 5 years enrolled in six Early Childhood Education Centers. Sociodemographic data, screen time, and frequency of consumption of sweets, snacks, and soft drinks were collected and analyzed using non-parametric tests (p<0.05).

RESULTS

excessive smartphone use (>two hours/day) was significantly more frequent in children aged 3 to 4 years (Odds Ratio=2.26; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.09-4.67; p=0.02), of mixed race/color (p<0.01), and not enrolled in full-time education (p<0.01). Limits on candy consumption reduced the chance of excessive smartphone screen time (Odds Ratio=0.32; p=0.023).

CONCLUSIONS

preschool children who exceed two hours of screen time per day showed higher intake of sweets.