Has the pandemic exacerbated sedentary behavior in children? Factors associated with high screen time in schoolchildren during COVID- 19.

Publication date: Jul 05, 2025

Our objective was to describe changes in screen time behavior among students before and during the suspension of in-person classes in public schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to identify factors associated with screen time during the pandemic. Cross-sectional study, conducted by telephone survey with 591 student/guardian pairs, from two municipalities in Minas Gerais, Brazil, between June and July 2020. Demographic and socioeconomic data were collected, and screen time, measured in hours and converted to minutes. Wilcoxon test for paired samples compared screen time median before and after the pandemic’s onset. Linear regression models with hierarchical input were used to estimate the associations between screen time and sociodemographic and pandemic-related variables, adjusted for sex and age. Student daily median screen time increased by 150%, from 120 min before to 300 min after the pandemic (p 

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Semantics

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