Several studies on the effects of screen time on people have been published in journals and presented in conferences in the past. Some studies focused on the psychological impact of too much screen time, while others focused on the physical impact, both to the young and the old.
By screen time, we mean all kinds of exposure to the screen: TV, computer, or game console.
Now, another study shows that screen time affects bone health. The study has been presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases held April 2-5 in Seville, Spain.
Results of the study illustrate that boys spend more time in front of their computers than girls do. It also confirms that a higher screen time has a more adverse association with bone mineral density (BMD) in boys than girls or, for that matter, with other boys who take time to go outdoors. Higher screen time for boys has also been positively associated with higher body mass index (BMI) levels.
In the meantime, girls who spent four to six hours in front of the computer have higher BMD than their counterparts who accumulated less than 1.5 hours of screen time daily. The researchers couldn't find an explanation by adjustments for the diverse parameters measured.
The study also reveals having lower bone mineral density may bring about an added risk of getting fractures and osteoporosis, or porous bones. Bone mass builds in strength and size throughout a child's life and peaks in early adulthood. Nutrition and physical activity play key roles in building bone strength.
"Bone mineral density is a strong predictor of future fracture risk. Our findings for girls are intriguing and definitely merit further exploration in other studies and population groups. The findings for boys, on the other hand, clearly show that sedentary lifestyle during adolescence can impact on BMD and thus compromise the acquisition of peak bone mass. This can have a negative impact in terms of osteoporosis and fracture risk later in life," said lead study author Dr. Anne Winther from the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø.
The study went on to explore the premise that higher use of computers during weekends leads to a lower BMD, with the participation of 463 girls and 484 boys ages 15 to 18 years old in Norway's Tromsø region who joined the Fit Futures study from years 2010 to 2011. The Fit Futures study evaluated more than 90 percent of all first-year high school students in the region.
The research involved self-administered questionnaires and interviews to collect lifestyle variables. Interview questions include asking the number of hours of screen time per day during weekends as well as number of hours spent on leisurely physical activities.
The established relationship between screen time and BMD was analyzed in a multiple-regression model with adjustments for age, BMI, sexual maturation, smoking, the consumption of alcohol, cod liver oil, and carbonated drinks, and leisure time physical activity.
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) has its own findings that about one in five men worldwide over the age of 50 will end up having osteoporosis caused by fracture. What prompted IOF to focus on osteoporosis in men as its theme in the recent world conference are the very low levels of awareness of people about bone health and the risk of osteoporosis in males.
