Association of screen time and physical activity with health-related quality of life in college students

Exploring the Factors Behind Regional Differences in Physical Fitness of Geological University Students

The intention of this study is to investigate the distribution of physical fitness of the geographical students. The indicators among freshmen at a Chinese geological university and compare their fitness levels with students from other types of institutions. The research revealed that students at higher latitudes exhibited greater physical strength but were less athletic than those at lower latitudes. Spatial dependence on physical fitness was more pronounced in males than in females, particularly for indicators characterizing athletic capacity. Influencing factors such as PM10, air temperature, rainfall, eggs consumption, grain consumption, and GDP which were identified as the major climate, dietary structure, and economic level were examined. Revised：PM10, air temperature and eggs consumption, factors influencing the spatial distribution of male physical fitness across the country. Rainfall, grains consumption and GDP, factors influencing the spatial distribution of female physical fitness across the country. respectively. These factors were found to affect males (42.43%) more than females (25.33%). These findings highlight the significance of regional differences in students' physical fitness levels, with students in geological universities demonstrating better overall physical fitness compared to their counterparts at other schools. Consequently, it is essential to develop tailored physical education strategies for students in various regions, taking into account local economic, climatic, and dietary factors. This study offers a greater explanation of physical fitness disparities between the Chinese university students as well as provides insights for designing effective physical education programs.

Development of the evaluating the screen exposure of adolescents (ESEA) scale: A validation and reliability study

PURPOSE

Adolescents today live in a world surrounded by electronic devices. They did not experience life before the internet and they are therefore called 'digital natives'. As a result of increased screen exposure among adolescents, many short-term and long-term health problems may occur. No measurement tool to date includes multidimensional variables of screen exposure other than the duration of the screen exposure. The aim of this study was to develop a scale that evaluates screen exposure within different dimensions and to confirm the reliability and validity of that scale.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This study was methodological. The research was completed with 347 adolescents. A personal information form and the Evaluating the Screen Exposure of Adolescents (ESEA) scale were used for data collection. IBM SPSS Statistics 24.0 and IBM AMOS 24.0 software programs were used for data analysis, and descriptive statistics were used to analyse numerical variables. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the factorial structure of the scale.

RESULTS

The scale was finalised with a total of 23 items within five factors, which are willingness/desire for screen exposure, socialisation, family control, procrastination tendency, and effects of prolonged screen exposure. The factor loadings of the scale vary between 0.370 and 0.825. The internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach's alpha value) of the total scale was found to be 0.79.

CONCLUSION

The ESEA scale, which was psychometrically evaluated in this study, assesses the screen exposure of adolescents multidimensionally and provides consistent measurements.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Nurses working with adolescents, and especially pediatric nurses and public health nurses, can use this measurement tool to assess the screen exposure of adolescents in a multidimensional way. This scale supports better problem definition and effective interventions by nurses considering multidimensional screen exposure.

Association of Screen Time with Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in College Students During COVID-19 Outbreak in Shanghai: Mediation Role of Sleep Quality

The study aimed to investigate the associations between different types of screen time (ST) and anxiety and depressive symptoms in college students during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China; the potential mediation role of sleep quality was also examined. A total of 1,550 college students completed an online survey in May 2022. ST, Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) score, Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score, and physical activity were self-reported. Multiple linear regression and mediation analysis were conducted. The results showed that more time spent in TV/movie viewing (>2 h/day) and recreational reading (>1 h/day) was associated with higher levels of anxiety, while more time spent in online social media (>2 h/day) was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms. In contrast, time spent in online social media (1-2 h/day) was associated with a lower level of anxiety. Meanwhile, recreational reading (2-3 h/day) had a significant indirect effect on anxiety and depressive symptoms through sleep quality. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the associations of ST with anxiety and depressive symptoms varied by the type of screen viewing in college students. The associations of slightly excessive time spent on recreational reading with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms were partially mediated by sleep quality.

Sleep-Body Composition Relationship: Roles of Sleep Behaviors in General and Abdominal Obesity in Chinese Adolescents Aged 17-22 Years

This study aimed to investigate the association between sleep behaviors and body composition, which was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) among Chinese adolescents. Overall, 444 students (65.3% females, 19.12 ± 1.177 years) completed questionnaires describing sleep characteristics. Sleep characteristics were derived from subjective means. Body composition was obtained from BIA by InBody 720 (Biospace Co. Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea). Regression models tested relationships between sleep and body composition after adjustment for covariates. Students with weekday nap duration (>30 min/d) exerted higher waist-height ratio (WHtR) (B = 0.013, FDR-corrected p = 0.080). Average sleep duration (≤7 h/d) was linked to more WHtR (B = 0.016, FDR-corrected p = 0.080). People with high social jetlag showed gained visceral fat area (B = 7.475), WHtR (B = 0.015), waist to hip ratio (B = 0.012), fat mass index (B = 0.663) and body fat percentage (B = 1.703) (all FDR-corrected p < 0.1). Individuals with screen time before sleep (>0.5 h) exhibited higher visceral fat area (B = 7.934, FDR-corrected p = 0.064), WHtR (B = 0.017, FDR-corrected p = 0.080), waist to hip ratio (B = 0.016, FDR-corrected p = 0.090), fat mass index (B = 0.902, FDR-corrected p = 0.069) and body fat percentage (B = 2.892, FDR-corrected p = 0.018). We found poor sleep characteristics were closely related to general and abdominal obesity.

Screen time and mental health in college students: Time in nature as a protective factor

Objective: To examine how time spent on handheld screens was related to internalizing mental health symptoms in college students and whether time spent in nature was associated with fewer mental health symptoms. Participants: Three hundred seventy-two college students (Mage = 19.47 ± 1.74, 63.8% female; 62.8% college freshman). Methods: College students completed questionnaires for research credit in their psychology courses. Results: Screen time significantly predicted higher anxiety, depression, and stress. Spending time outdoors ("green time") significantly predicted lower stress and depression, but not lower anxiety. Green time moderated the relationship, such that college students who spent less time outside (1SD below mean) had consistent rates of mental health symptoms across hours of screentime, but individuals who spent average/above average (mean, 1SD above mean) time outside had fewer mental health symptoms at lower levels of screentime. Conclusions: Promoting green time in students may be an effective way of improving stress and depression.

Physical Activity and Habitus: Parental Support or Peer Support?

Social support can affect an individual's physical activity and activity habitus. This study aims to explore: (1) the correlations between physical activity and parental/peer support among Chinese college students; (2) the differences between the effects of parental/peer support on college students' physical activity. To achieve these aims, we conducted a cross-sectional study from September to December 2021, recruiting 1005 students (479 male respondents) from seven comprehensive universities in western China. Through OLS linear regression and quantile regression, we empirically testify that both parental support and peer support have significant influence on physical activity and activity habitus of Chinese college students, and peer support has greater impact. We also examine such effects of both types of support by grouping the samples into two groups on the bases of their existing physical activity habitus. We posit that as the most intimate interpersonal relationships, parental support and peer support play a key role in college students' physical activity and activity habitus, and peer support has greater impact as they step into college. Our study provides insights into the factors of physical activity and activity habitus and we propose that attention regarding the impact of social support should be paid when we are trying to promote the physical activity of college students.

Distinguishing the Associations Between Evening Screen Time and Sleep Quality Among Different Age Groups: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE

The age differences in the association between screen time and sleep problems have been implied in many studies, and this study aims to distinguish the associations between evening screen time and sleep quality among different age groups.

METHODS

This is a population-based, cross-sectional study among community residents aged ≥18 years in China. A total of 21,376 valid questionnaires were analyzed. Sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Averaged evening screen time (AEST), sociodemographic information, and health-related behaviors were also evaluated in this study.

RESULTS

In the 18-to-34-year age group, compared with people without AEST, ≤1 h/day (β = 0.34, p < 0.05) and >3 h/day (β = 1.05, p < 0.001) of AEST were significantly associated with poor sleep quality, and a reverse S-shaped relationship for this association was shown. In the 35-to-49-year and 50-to-64-year age groups, ≤1 h/day (β = 0.43 and 0.36, both p < 0.001), ≤2 h/day (β = 0.43 and 0.31, p < 0.001 and p < 0.01), ≤3 h/day (β = 0.62 and 0.61, both p < 0.001), and >3 h/day (β = 1.55 and 1.88, both p < 0.001) of AEST were positively associated with poor sleep quality. In the 65-year-and-older age group, a J-shaped relationship was found, and ≤3 h/day (β = 0.82, p < 0.001) and >3 h/day (β = 1.84, p < 0.001) of AEST were associated with poor sleep quality.

CONCLUSION

Associations between AEST and sleep quality among different age groups are different. In the 18-to-34-year and 65-year-and-older age groups, acceptable AEST is not related to sleep quality. In the 35-to-49-year and 50-to-64-year age groups, AEST was harmful to sleep quality.