BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Age-Specific Effects of Screen Time on Overweight/Obese: A Structural Equation Model of Children and Adolescents in Western Maharashtra, India.
Provisionally accepted
- Bharati Vidyapeeth's Medical College, Pune, India
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Background The rapid increase in digital technology use has led to unprecedented screen time levels among children and adolescents, raising concerns about overweight/obesity, especially in urban settings. Despite growing global evidence, limited data exists for Indian cities like Pune. Objectives This cross-sectional study assessed the relationship between screen time duration and overweight/obesity in children’s (6–11 years) and adolescents (12-19 years) in Pune, India, accounting for dietary patterns, physical activity, and sociodemographic factors. Methods A sample of 3,920 students from urban Pune schools was evaluated for screen time, physical activity, diet, BMI, and sociodemographic variables. Multinomial logistic regression and structural equation modeling identified associations between these factors and overweight/obesity, stratified by age groups (6–11 and 12–19 years). Results Overweight/obesity prevalence was 27.1%. Excessive screen time was strongly associated with higher overweight and obesity risk. Children with 2–4 hours daily screen time had 35.69 times higher Adj. OR (p<0.001), and those exceeding 4 hours had 28.80 times higher Adj. OR (p<0.001). Among children’s (6–11 years), 2–4 hours increased Adj. OR by 88.58 times (p<0.001) and over 4 hours by 69.45 times (p<0.001). In adolescents (12–19 years), 2–4 hours increased Adj. OR by 11.88 times (p<0.001) and over 4 hours by 9.22 times (p<0.001). Conclusions High screen time is a major modifiable risk factor for obesity among urban children and adolescents in Pune. Age-specific and family-centered interventions targeting reduced screen time and improved physical activity are urgently needed for effective obesity prevention and health promotion.
Keywords: age-specific, overweight/obese, Children, adolescecnt, screen time
Received: 08 Aug 2025; Accepted: 26 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Thorat, Deshmukh and Adhya. 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: Dr Rupeshkumar Balasaheb Deshmukh
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