Smartphone And Background Screen Times Are Associated With Dietary Intake

Screen time (ST) is associated with increased energy consumption, with most studies using television (TV) viewing to quantify screen use. It is known that excess energy consumption can contribute to increased cardiometabolic health risk. With the continual development of technology, there is a wide variety of screened devices regularly used, yet it remains unclear whether specific devices are associated with excess dietary intake. Additionally, there is a lack of research assessing the impact of background screen time (e.g., TV is on while cooking) on dietary intake. PURPOSE: To evaluate associations of device-specific ST and background ST with dietary intake in adults. METHODS: Device-specific ST, background ST, and sedentary behavior data were collected via survey from 62 adults (mean ± SD: 52.5 ± 16.1 years; 59.7% female) who were free from gastrointestinal related illness. Included screened devices were TV, TV-connected devices, computers, smartphones, and tablets. Dietary intake data were collected using a food frequency questionnaire over the past month (Diet History Questionnaire III) and expressed as the average reported intakes of total daily Calories, carbohydrate, added sugars, fats, saturated fats, and protein. Multivariable linear regression analyses, controlling for sex, body mass index (BMI), and sedentary behavior, were used to assess associations between device specific ST, background ST, and dietary intake. RESULTS: Smartphone ST (86 ± 63 min/d) was positively associated with intakes of total Calories (1726 ± 731 kcal/d; β = 0.34, p < 0.05), carbohydrates (183 ± 91 g/d; β = 0.39, p < 0.01), added sugars (39 ± 31 g/d; β = 0.33, p < 0.05), fats (74 ± 31 g/d; β = 0.27, p < 0.05), and saturated fats (25 ± 13 g/d; β = 0.27, p < 0.05) when controlling for sex, BMI (30.3 ± 7.2 kg/m2), and sedentary behavior (486 ± 157 min/d). Background ST (115 ± 134 min/d) was positively associated with intakes of total Calories (β = 0.44, p < 0.001), carbohydrates (β = 0.36, p < 0.01), fats (β = 0.35, p < 0.01), and proteins (75 ± 30 g/d; β = 0.38, p < 0.01) intakes independent of all covariates. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that high volumes of smartphone use, and background ST may impact caloric and macronutrient intake in adults. Funded by NIH, NIDDK Diabetic Complications Consortium 5U24DK115255-04.