TABLE 1.
Main characteristics of studies examined the association between Internet use and overweight and obesity1
| Study (ref) | Country | Mean age/age range | Sex | Sample size | Exposure | Exposure assessment | Outcome | Outcome assessment | Comparison | OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tsitsika et al. (27) | European countries2 | 15.8 (14–17) | M/F | Total: 10,287; M: 5140; F: 5147 | Problematic Internet use/social networking sites | Questionnaire | Overweight/obesity | Self-reported weight and height | ≥2 h/d vs. <2 h/d | 1.14 (1.05–1.25) |
| Eliacik et al. (33) | Turkey | (13–18) | M/F | Total: 135; M: 52; F: 83 | Internet addiction | Internet addiction scale | Obesity | Self-reported weight and height | ≥5 h/d vs. <5 h/d | 3.30 (1.14–9.55) |
| Sampasa-Kanyinga et al. (28) | Canada | 15.2 | M/F | Total: 9858; M: 4428; F: 5430 | Social networking sites | Questionnaire | Overweight/obesity | Self-reported weight and height | ≥5 h/d vs. no use | 1.29 (0.96–1.72) |
| Melchior et al. (29) | France | (22–35) | M/F | Total: 674; M: 268; F: 406 | Internet use | Questionnaire | Overweight | Self-reported weight and height | >2 h/d vs. ≤2 h/d | 1.32 (0.83–2.09) |
| Surís et al. (30) | Switzerland | 14.2 | M/F | Total: 3067; M: 1525; F: 1542 | Problematic Internet use | Internet addiction test | Overweight | Self-reported weight and height | IAT ≥50 vs. IAT <50 | 1.74 (1.03–2.93) |
| Belanger et al. (11) | Switzerland | (16–20) | M | 3906 | Heavy Internet use | Questionnaire | Overweight | Self-reported weight and height | ≥2 h/d vs. <2 h/d | 1.78 (1.07–2.95) |
| (16–20) | F | 3305 | Heavy Internet use | Questionnaire | Overweight | Self-reported weight and height | ≥2 h/d vs. <2 h/d | 1.03 (0.39–2.67) | ||
| Kim et al. (32) | China | 18.9 | M/F | Total: 2430 | Heavy Internet use | Questionnaire | Overweight | Self-reported weight and height | ≥4 h/wk vs. <4 h/wk | 1.65 (1.06–2.58) |
| Vandelanotte et al. (10) | Australia | (20–65) | M/F | Total: 2532; M: 978; F: 1554 | Leisure-time Internet and computer use | Questionnaire | Obesity | Self-reported weight and height | ≥3 h/wk vs. no use | 2.52 (1.81–3.51) |
| (20–65) | M/F | Total: 2532; M: 978; F: 1554 | Leisure-time Internet and computer use | Questionnaire | Overweight | Self-reported weight and height | ≥3 h/wk vs. no use | 1.46 (1.10–1.93) | ||
| Adachi-Mejia et al. (31) | USA | (9–12) | M/F | Total: 2343; M: 1174; F: 1169 | Internet use | Questionnaire | Overweight | Self-reported weight and height | A few times a week or more vs. no use | 1.00 (0.73–1.37) |
1
Age values are means (ranges). IAT, Internet addiction test; ref, reference.
2
Including Germany, Greece, Iceland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Spain.