Bibliographic Information and Summary on Relationships Between Screen-Time and Physical Activity - Paper Example

Aggio, D., Ogunleye, A. A., Voss, C., & Sandercock, G. R. H. (2012). Temporal relationships between screen-time and physical activity with cardiorespiratory fitness in English Schoolchildren: A 2-year longitudinal study. Preventive medicine, 55(1), 37-39.This article documents the findings of a 2 years longitudinal study that determined the association of television watching, physical activity and the fitness of cardiopulmonary systems. The researchers sought to validate the existing studies relating low physical activity and increased exposure to electronic media and the impact on the cardiopulmonary system. In a study of 1500 schoolchildren of a mean age of 11.5 years, the authors found out that children with low physical activity and longer screen time have a high predictor value for obesity and subsequent cardiorespiratory problems.

The research was a prospective longitudinal study covering a period of two years. The design used was experimental, because researchers subjected participants to a series of activity to determine cardiorespiratory fitness. The researchers carried some baseline observations and followed up the participants after two years to determine the changes in the baseline findings. The experiments were combined with a self-reporting questionnaire to supplement the data from the experimental research.

The purpose of this study was to associate obesity and sedentary behavior among children. The study formed its framework from a number of studies showing that obesity among children was on the rise. This alarming rate by which the nations young generation was becoming unfit attracted studies by different scholars to solve the problem using scientific means. The researchers who wrote this article wanted to give parents and social workers some readership that would serve as their reference when developing methods aimed at reducing cardiorespiratory unfitness among children.

Arango, C. M., Parra, D. C., Gomez, L. F., Lema, L., Lobelo, F., & Ekelund, U. (2014). Screen time, cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity among school-age children from Monteria, Colombia. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 17(5), 491-495.

Total screen time has been associated with poor cardiorespiratory unfitness in prior studies. This study looked at the same variables in a population of school going children aged from 11 to 18 years in Monteria, Colombia. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using a short shuttle run for participants. If a participant was unable to reach the 20 meters required to complete the run, they were considered unfit. Further, the participants were interviewed on the amount of time they spent on electronic media in one day. The bodys adiposity was measured by waist circumference using standard parameters. Body mass index was also calculated from the weight and height of the participants to supplement data on adiposity.

The methodology used in this study was cross-sectional. A total of 576 school going children were evaluated using the three variables: adiposity, cardiovascular fitness and sedentary behavior. The purpose of the study was to add the existing data on the negative effects of prolonged exposure to electronic media on the health of children. The population studied came from a poor neighborhood in Monteria, and the researchers wanted to find the impacts of this poverty on the physical fitness of children. In fact, the researchers aimed at sensitizing the city officials on the need to have a playground for children to divert their attention from sedentary lifestyle in their homes. The study concluded that there are indeed negative health effects of sedentary behavior in children and called for intervention by the relevant stakeholders.

de Andrade, G., Cristina, E., Augusto Santos Silva, D., & Gimenes Nunes, H. E. (2015). Prevalence and factors associated with low aerobic performance levels in adolescents: a systematic review. Current pediatric reviews, 11(1), 56-70.Aerobic performance has a direct impact on obesity and poor cardiorespiratory capacity. School going children from both genders were assessed based on their physical activity. The researchers who carried out this study wished to extrapolate the existing findings on the relationship between sedentary living, lifestyle diseases and morbidity among adults to pediatric population. Low aerobic performance is attributed to the female gender, poverty, high body fat content, and prolonged screen time.

The objective of the study was to find and analyze scholarly literature that discusses the relationship between low aerobic performance and cardiorespiratory health. The researchers carried out a systematic review of literature from online libraries MEDILINE and SciELO. They used search words like aerobic capacity, cardiopulmonary fitness, and adolescents. They identified 365 articles from PubMed and 100 articles from SciELO. Through a systematic exclusion based on set criteria, they settled on 33 articles which they analyzed the findings from.

The purpose of this study was to strengthen the association between the predictors of high body adiposity. The researchers opted for literature review contrary to empirical research to find a broader perspective from a number of studies. They argued that a systematic review would lead to the analysis of studies that best describe the association between social-economic factors and the health of adolescents. Their observations can find utility in the general population, parents, teachers and policy makers in the field of pediatric health. The study concluded that the cause of poor cardiovascular health is heterogeneous, and that it calls for multiple approaches in the mitigation of this problem.

Critical Analysis

The three articles summarized above have corresponding findings. All of them conclude that the time spent on television and other electronic media has a direct impact on the bodys adiposity. The hours spent on the television and video games reduces the amount of time that children could be spending on the playground. Consequently, children add a lot of weight because of the decreased physical activity. The article by Aggio et. al. (2014) and Arango et al (2014) consider two predictor variables for cardiovascular fitness while the last one looks at the screen time among other variables like gender and poverty.

Regardless of the breadth of study, all the articles find the negative impact of prolonged screen time on physical health. The reason why the third article explores many variables is because it is a systematic review of literature while the other two are empirical studies. I have argued that these articles are very resourceful for parents, teachers, educationists and policy makers in the field of pediatric health. In fact, one of the articles appeared in the press, implying the authors interests in the applicability of their findings in real-life settings.

The purpose of any scientific inquiry is to provide evidence that may be used in drafting policies targeted at solving a problem. Child obesity is on the rise, and these articles have documented some of the reasons why this is so. The studies have concluded with a call to actors for the establishment of family and school-level methods to mitigate the rising obesity in school-going children. The articles have presented enough evidence, and it is incumbent upon the relevant stakeholders to take appropriate action.

References

Aggio, D., Ogunleye, A. A., Voss, C., & Sandercock, G. R. H. (2012). Temporal relationships between screen-time and physical activity with cardiorespiratory fitness in English Schoolchildren: A 2-year longitudinal study. Preventive Medicine, 55(1), 37-39.

Arango, C. M., Parra, D. C., Gomez, L. F., Lema, L., Lobelo, F., & Ekelund, U. (2014). Screen time, cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity among school-age children from Monteria, Colombia. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 17(5), 491-495.

de Andrade, G., Cristina, E., Augusto Santos Silva, D., & Gimenes Nunes, H. E. (2015). Prevalence and factors associated with low aerobic performance levels in adolescents: a systematic review. Current Pediatric Reviews, 11(1), 56-70.