Associations of Screen Time and Physical Activity With Body Mass Index in Early Adolescence: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors' conclusion
These findings suggest that obesity prevention efforts should consider both greater physical activity and less recreational screen use as behavioral interventions.
Study context
- Population
- US adolescents in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study; exposures at Year 2 (2018–2020, ages 11–12), outcomes at Year 4 (2020–2022, ages 13–14)
- Participants
- 5,356 adolescents
- Exposure
- High vs low screen time; low vs high step count
- Outcome
- BMI and overweight/obesity risk
- Follow-up
- Year 4
Methodological detailsmutually adjusted exposures, Poisson and linear regression
- Mutually adjusted exposures
- Poisson and linear regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Relative risk (95% CI)P value
High screen timevs Low screen timeoverweight/obesity; Poisson model, exposures mutually adjusted
1.09(1.02–1.16)
P = 0.013Low step countvs High step countoverweight/obesity; multivariable Poisson model
1.23(1.07–1.40)
P = 0.003- Low step count vs High step count · BMI percentile; multivariable linear model
- coefficient [B] 3.27 (95% CI 1.54–4.99); P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Descriptive exposures and outcome
- Mean daily screen time, Year 2
- 6.1 (±5.2) hours
- Mean step count, Year 2
- 9265 (±3227) steps
- Overweight/obesity, Year 4
- 32.7%
Original publication
Associations of Screen Time and Physical Activity With Body Mass Index in Early Adolescence: A Prospective Cohort Study. Obesity (Silver Spring). Published 31 March 2026. doi:10.
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