Screen time is associated with dietary intake in overweight Canadian children☆☆☆★★★

OBJECTIVES To describe the relationship between screen time and dietary intake among children, and to examine this association in relation to body weight. METHODS A cross-sectional analysis of 630 Canadian children aged 8-10 years with at least one obese biological parent. Measurements included body mass index (BMI), screen time (television, video game, computer), physical activity (accelerometer over 7 days), and diet (three 24-hour recalls for the calculation of the Canadian Healthy Eating Index (HEI-C)). Multivariate linear regression models were used to describe the relationship between screen time (≥ 2 h/d vs. < 2 h/d) and intake of nutrients and foods among healthy weight and overweight/obese children. RESULTS The overall median [interquartile range] daily screen time was 2.2 [2.4] hours and 43% of children had a BMI of ≥ 85th percentile. Longer screen time above the recommendation (≥ 2 h/d) was associated with higher intake of energy (74 kcal, SE = 35), lower intake of fiber (- 0.6 g/1000 kcal, SE = 0.2) and vegetables & fruit (- 0.3 serving/1000 kcal, SE = 0.1) among all participants and with higher estimates in the overweight subgroup. An overall lower HEI-C (- 1.6, SE = 0.8) was also observed among children with screen time of ≥ 2 h/d. Among children of < 85th BMI percentile, longer screen time was associated with lower intake of vegetables & fruit (- 0.3 serving/1000 kcal, SE = 0.1) only. CONCLUSION Screen time is associated with less desirable food choices, particularly in overweight children.