Screen time increases risk of overweight and obesity in active and inactive 9-year-old Irish children: a cross sectional analysis

BACKGROUND: Independent associations between screen time (ST)/physical activity (PA) and overweight (OW)/obesity have been demonstrated but little research exists on the role of ST among sufficiently active children. PURPOSE: To examine the combined influence of ST and PA on risk of OW/obesity in a nationally representative sample of 9-year-old Irish children. METHODS: The sample in this cross sectional analysis contained 8568 children. Self-report parent data were used to group children into ST and PA categories and related to OW/obesity using forced entry logistic regression. RESULTS: High ST (> 3 hours/day), bedroom TV and mobile phone ownership increased risk of OW/obesity in high and low active children (P < .05). Low PA (