PLoS ONE (Jan 2024)

The relationship between screen time and gross motor movement: A cross-sectional study of pre-school aged left-behind children in China.

  • Rui Yuan,
  • Jia Zhang,
  • Pengwei Song,
  • Long Qin

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296862
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 4
p. e0296862

Abstract

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ObjectiveTo investigate the level of screen time and gross motor movement level and the correlation between them in left-behind children aged 3 to 6 years old in China.MethodsA randomized whole-group sampling method was used to study 817 left-behind children aged 3-6 years in 15 kindergartens in Xiangcheng city, Henan province. The third version of the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) was used to test the children's gross motor movement level, and the screen time questionnaire was used to test the children's screen time level. The relationship between the two and the indicators was explored using Pearson's two-sided correlation and multilevel regression.ResultsThe average daily screen time of left-behind children aged 3-6 years old increased with age, and the reporting rate of >2 h/d ranged from 22.43% to 33.73%; gross motor movement of left-behind children aged 3-6 years old increased with age, with significant differences between age (pConclusionThere is a correlation between screen time and gross motor movement development in children aged 3-6 years old left behind, and the gross motor movement ability of children aged 3-6 years old can be developed by reducing screen time and increasing physical activity.