Abstract
Background: The association between adolescent time spent on social media use and BMI z-score is unclear. Pathways of association and sex differences are also unclear. This study examined the association between time spent on social media use and BMI z-score (primary objective) and potential explanatory pathways (secondary objective) for boys and girls. Methods: Data are from 5,332 girls and 5,466 boys aged 14 in the UK Millennium Cohort Study. BMI z-score was regressed on self-reported time spent on social media use (hours/day). Potential explanatory pathways explored included dietary intake, sleep duration, depressive symptoms, cyberbullying, body weight satisfaction, self-esteem, and wellbeing. Sex-stratified multivariable linear regression and structural equation modelling were used to examine potential associations and explanatory pathways. Results: Using social media for ≥5 hours/day (vs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e13017 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Pediatric Obesity |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 8 Mar 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 5 Apr 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Campbell Foubister is funded by an NIHR SPHR PhD studentship (Grant Reference Number PD-SPH-2015). The work of EvS is supported by the UK Medical Research Council (Unit Programme number MC_UU_12015/7). This study was undertaken under the auspices of the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged [MR/K023187/1]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. I am grateful to the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), UCL Social Research Institute, for the use of these data and to the UK Data Service for making them available. However, neither CLS nor the UK Data Service bears any responsibility for the analysis or interpretation of these data. Esther van Sluijs and Stephen Sharp are employees of the University of Cambridge. Russell Jago is an employee of the University of Bristol.
Funding Information:
Campbell Foubister is funded by an NIHR SPHR PhD studentship (Grant Reference Number PD‐SPH‐2015). The work of EvS is supported by the UK Medical Research Council (Unit Programme number MC_UU_12015/7). This study was undertaken under the auspices of the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged [MR/K023187/1]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. I am grateful to the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), UCL Social Research Institute, for the use of these data and to the UK Data Service for making them available. However, neither CLS nor the UK Data Service bears any responsibility for the analysis or interpretation of these data. Esther van Sluijs and Stephen Sharp are employees of the University of Cambridge. Russell Jago is an employee of the University of Bristol.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Pediatric Obesity published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of World Obesity Federation.
Research Groups and Themes
- SPS Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences
Keywords
- obesity
- Social media use
- adolescent
