SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1628904
This article is part of the Research TopicMonitoring Nutritional Status and Physical Activity in Youths GloballyView all 4 articles
Physical Activity, Screen Time, Dietary Habits and Health Outcomes among Children and Adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A Narrative Review
Provisionally accepted
Shaikha Eisa Alnaqbi1
Rahab Sohail1
Hadia Radwan1
Maysm N. Mohamad2
Falak Zeb1
HAYDER A HASAN1
Mona Hashim1Tareq Osaili1
Sharifa Alblooshi3
Ayesha S. Al Dhaheri2Lily Stojanovska4
Leila Cheikh Ismail1,5*- 1University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- 2United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
- 3Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- 4Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
- 5University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Background: Physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) are crucial determinants of health among children and adolescents. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has witnessed rapid urbanization, lifestyle transitions, and increased digitalization, all impact PA and ST behaviors. To our knowledge, we aimed to explore the prevalence of PA and ST among children and adolescents in the MENA region, as well as their correlations with health outcomes and dietary practices. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in major databases (Google Scholar, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SPORTdiscus, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Scopus), 18 eligible studies from 7 countries were included. This narrative review explores the current literature on PA and ST patterns among children and adolescents in MENA, highlighting key trends, determinants, and health outcomes (dietary habits, obesity and overweight, body satisfaction and quality of life). Results: Studies indicate that a significant proportion of children and adolescents in the region fail to meet the recommended PA guidelines, with sedentary lifestyles becoming increasingly prevalent. High ST exposure, driven by social media, gaming, and academic screen use, has been linked to unhealthy dietary habits, obesity, and metabolic disorders. This review highlights that boys are generally more physically active than girls. Socioeconomic factors, cultural norms, environmental barriers, and educational demands play crucial roles in shaping PA and ST behaviors. Conclusions: School-based interventions, parental influence, and policy measures promoting active lifestyles and accountable screen use are essential to mitigating the negative health effects. However, research gaps persist, particularly in longitudinal studies and intervention effectiveness. Addressing these challenges requires a multidisciplinary approach involving policymakers, educators, health professionals, and communities to foster healthier lifestyles among children and adolescents in the MENA region.
Keywords: Children1, Adolescent2, physical activity3, Screen time4, Arab region5
Received: 15 May 2025; Accepted: 29 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alnaqbi, Sohail, Radwan, Mohamad, Zeb, HASAN, Hashim, Osaili, Alblooshi, Al Dhaheri, Stojanovska and Cheikh Ismail. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Leila Cheikh Ismail, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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