Excessive screen time among children and adolescents has been associated with physical inactivity, obesity, bullying, sleep disorders and risky sexual behaviors. However, the relation between screen time and different types of high-risk sexual behaviors has not been well explored. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of screen time, (defined as watching television 3 or more hours per day, or playing video or computer games or using a computer 3 or more hours per day) on high-risk sexual behaviors:- early onset of sexual intercourse before the age of 13 years, having sexual intercourse with four or more sexual partners within the last 3 months, alcohol consumption or drug abuse before the last sexual intercourse, or unprotected intercourse without male or female condom use.
Methods: Data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a national survey representative of 9th through 12th grade students in public and private schools in the United States was used. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the association between the predictor variables and the different high-risk sexual behaviors. The model was adjusted for age, sex, and race. Out of 15,624 respondents, about a third (5,770) reported having had “high-risk” sexual intercourse.
Results: Analysis showed that students (9th -12thgrade) who watched television 3 or more hours per day were 49% more likely to have been sexually active before the age of 13 years (aOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.23-1.80, p
Conclusion: The study findings suggest that watching television 3 or more hours per day is more significantly associated with high-risk sexual behaviors than playing video or computer games or using a computer 3 or more hours per day. More research might need to be conducted to determine the ‘protective effect’ of screen time with video or computer games and computer use. In addition, parents, caregivers and all stakeholders should ensure screen time be limited toyouths.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-1188 |
| Date | 04 April 2018 |
| Creators | Falodun, Ayotola |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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