Associations of physical activity and screen time with emotional and behavioral problems in children

Objective  To investigate the associations of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and screen time (ST) with emotional and behavioral problems in children and to provide evidence for related intervention measures. Methods  In March 2017, a total of 4 922 children aged 6-12 years from 5 primary schools in Guangzhou were enrolled using stratified random cluster sampling method. Questionnaires were used to assess children's socio-demographic information, MVPA, ST and emotional and behavioral problems. The associations of MVPA and ST with behavioral problems were explored by using generalized linear mixed models. Results  Students with MVPA≥60 min per day accounted for 37.5%, and with ST≤2 h per day accounted for 87.7%. Children who were physically active showed lower scores for total difficulties, hyperactivity, and peer problems and higher score for prosocial than inactive peers(t=2.80, 2.47, 2.56, -1.97, all P Conclusion  MVPA and ST are independently related to children's emotional and behavioral problems, and the risks of emotional and behavioral problems increased in children with insufficient MVPA and longer ST.