Screen use and overweight were associated in surveys of women
A multinational analysis linked mobile use and television viewing with overweight or obesity, but the survey findings do not establish that screen exposure caused weight gain.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Women reporting mobile use or television viewing had higher odds of being classified as overweight or obese in the pooled surveys. An association was also reported for combined exposure. These results describe how screen use and weight status occurred together; they do not show that reducing screen time would change an individual's weight.
The abstract does not specify the reference groups for its odds ratios or which other factors were accounted for. Observational survey associations cannot establish that screen exposure caused higher body weight.
The outcome was weight status
The analysis used a body-mass-index definition of overweight or obesity. It did not report measured weight change following a screen-use intervention, and the abstract does not describe the screen-hour thresholds underlying its exposure categories.
Associations differed across regions
Regional subgroup analyses reported higher odds among African women. The abstract does not provide enough detail on those comparisons to explain why estimates differed across settings or how much other characteristics influenced the reported regional pattern.
The original publication
Association between screen time and overweight/obesity: A meta-analysis of 393,743 women from 36 low- and middle-income countries.
Rahman A, Alam K, Ahammed B
Public Health · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40974981
- Record checked
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