Study finds excessive child screen time linked to heart‑disease risk factors
- A Journal of the American Heart Association study of Danish youth found more recreational screen time tracked with higher cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents. - Researchers analyzed more than 1,000 participants and found each extra hour of screen time was tied to higher risk, especially with shorter sleep. - The findings add to concern that heart-risk markers are appearing earlier in life. (heart.org)
Children and teenagers who spend more time on recreational screens had higher cardiometabolic risk in a Danish study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. (heart.org) (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Cardiometabolic risk is a cluster of early warning signs that can point toward later heart disease and diabetes, including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and waist size. The researchers combined those measures into a single risk score. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) The study used data from more than 1,000 participants in two Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood cohorts in Denmark. Screen time covered leisure use of televisions, phones, tablets, computers and gaming devices. (heart.org) (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Each additional hour of screen time was associated with higher cardiometabolic risk in both children and adolescents. The association was stronger among young people who slept fewer hours. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) In adolescents, higher screen time was also associated with a higher predicted future cardiovascular risk score. The paper also reported links with insulin resistance, inflammation, lipoproteins and body measurements in secondary analyses. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) The American Heart Association said the findings fit a broader pattern of risk appearing earlier in life. It cited prior federal survey data showing only 29% of U.S. youth ages 2 to 19 had favorable cardiometabolic health in 2013-2018. (heart.org) The study was observational, which means it found a link but did not prove that screens directly caused the risk changes. The authors said sleep patterns should be considered alongside screen habits when assessing early-life heart and metabolic risk. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) (heart.org) Dr. Erin Davis, a pediatric cardiologist at Emplify Health by Gundersen, told Radio Iowa the reported risk markers included high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased abdominal fat and increased insulin resistance. She said keeping screens out of bedrooms can reduce both screen time and sleep disruption. (radioiowa.com) Lead author David Horner of the University of Copenhagen said limiting discretionary screen time in childhood and adolescence may help protect long-term heart and metabolic health. The study stops short of a prescription, but it puts sleep and screen use in the same frame. (heart.org)
