SCREEN TIME USE AND ITS HEALTH EFFECTS AMONG CHILDREN ATTENDING WELL BABY CLINIC AT PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTERS, MAKKAH, SAUDI ARABIA2020

Objectives: To determine prevalence of screen time use among children aged between less than 1 year to 5 years old, and to identify the association of screen time and obesity in this age group.

Methods: A cross-sectional study included 355 children from less than 1year of age to 5 years, that was conducted at well baby clinics primary health care in Makkah, kingdom of Saudi arabia, between July 2021 and august 2021. The data were collected by a validated questionnaire. SPSS version 21.0 was used to gather and analyse all data. There was statical analysis of the prevalence of excessive screen time. The Chi-Square and correlations were used to test associations where appropriate.

Results: The age groups were from less than 1 year to 5 years. The level of electronic device usage was excessive among 22.3 percent of children. There was a significant correlation between BMI and screen time, with a higher BMI related with increased screen time for overweight and obese children.

Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of screen use among children more than 1 year of age. Also, high levels of nutritional problems were shown to be associated with excessive screen time including overweight and obesity.