Longitudinal relationship between screen time and consumption of foods commonly advertised among adolescents in the Growing Up Today Study II

Introduction: Foods commonly advertised (FCA) to children include sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), candy, snack foods, and fast foods. The influence of marketing on diet may partially explain the well-established association between screen time and adiposity. Purpose: To examine the associations between screen time and 1) FCA and 2) fruits and vegetables. Methods: Data were analyzed from three waves of the Growing Up Today Study II, a prospective cohort of adolescents. Food frequency questionnaires were used to calculate servings/day of FCA (sum of SSBs, candy, snacks, and fast food) and fruits and vegetables for 4,650 girls and 3,697 boys. Linear regression was used to estimate the relationship between screen time (baseline and change) and concurrent 2-year change in diet. Models were stratified by gender, included all forms of screen time and adjusted for age, baseline BMI, height, height change, race/ethnicity, menarche, physical activity, neighborhood safety, census tract median income, and frequency of family dinners. Results: Among girls, both baseline and increase in hours/day of watching television and DVDs, as well as increase in internet use were associated with greater 2-year increases in consumption of FCA (p<0.01). Among boys, baseline and increase in hours/day of television, DVDs, and video games and increase in internet use were associated with greater 2-year increases in consumption of FCA (p<0.05). Among boys and girls, greater television and video game use was associated with lower consumption of fruits and vegetables (p<0.05). Conclusion: Screen time is positively associated with consumption of foods commonly advertised and inversely associated with consumption of fruits and vegetables.