269974 Gender differences in the relationships between elementary-school students' weight status and measures of screen time, physical activity, fitness, and diet

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Jeffrey Holm, PhD , Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research and Dept. of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
Kaitlin Lilienthal, MA , Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
Dmitri Poltavski, PhD , Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research and Dept. of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
Nancy Vogeltanz-Holm, PhD , Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research, University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND
Understanding which health behaviors increase children's risk for obesity is an increasingly important public health goal. Our study examined gender-specific associations between several health behaviors and obesity in school-aged children. Data were from 387 third-grade students from rural Midwestern schools. Health behaviors included passive (television/video viewing) and active forms (video/computer game playing) of screen time, physical activities and cardiovascular fitness, and several measures of diet. Body mass index was used to identify those children who were of a healthy weight, overweight, and obese. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys. Results showed that the multinomial models were statistically significant for girls [Χ2(18)=42.2, p<.01; R2=35%] and for boys [Χ2(18)=47.0, p<.001; R2=38%]. In girls, the odds ratios (OR) for the specific health behaviors showed no significant predictors of overweight status, but obese girls did spend significantly more time watching television/videos (OR=1.65) and showed poorer cardiovascular fitness (OR=0.82) than girls of a healthy weight. Overweight boys were significantly more likely than healthy weight boys to watch more television/videos (OR=2.08) and play fewer video/computer games (OR=0.57). Obese boys were significantly more likely to watch more television/videos than healthy weight boys (OR=1.99), and they also showed significantly poorer cardiovascular fitness (OR=0.84). Our results show a clear relationship between obesity and passive, but not active, forms of screen time. Furthermore, because physical activity and fitness were controlled by our models, the relationship between obesity and passive screen time is not simply a function of lower activity levels in obese children.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe relationships between elementary-school students' weight status and health behaviors including screen time, physical activity, cardiovascular fitness and diet. 2. Differentiate between passive forms of screen time such as television/video watching from active forms such as video/game playing when considering the importance of screen time in predicting children's weight status. 3. Identify gender differences in the relationships between children's weight status and health behaviors.

Keywords: Obesity, School-Based Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a full professor in psychology and also the senior scientist in the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at the University of North Dakota School Medicine and Health Sciences. I have over 50 publications and 200 presentations related to behavioral health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.