Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Dec 2023)
Unhealthy Eating Habits and Insomnia Symptoms are Associated with Internet Addiction in Chinese Left-Behind Children: The Gender Difference
Abstract
Liqing Yao,1,2 Kaixin Liang,3,4 Qiu Zhang,5 Xinli Chi3,4 1School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Faculty of Medicine, Medical Sciences Division, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 4The Shenzhen Humanities & Social Sciences Key Research Bases of the Center for Mental Health, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 5The Center for Health Economics and Health Promotion Research, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qiu Zhang, The Center for Health Economics and Health Promotion Research, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected] Xinli Chi, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: This study aimed to evaluate the associations between unhealthy eating habits and insomnia symptoms with Internet addiction (IA) among Chinese left-behind children (LBC) based on potential gender difference.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in junior high schools from an economically disadvantaged area of China in May 2020. Participants were asked to complete the information and scales of socio-demographic characteristics, eating habits (the frequency of eating carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, protein, and breakfast), insomnia severity and IA. A total of 3156 LBCs (43.9% males and 56.1% females, aged 14.2 years in average) were used for final analyses. Associations between eating habits and insomnia symptoms with IA were analyzed by generalized linear model with binary logistic regression.Results: The study found that left-behind children (LBCs) had unhealthy eating habits, particularly among females. Females reported more insomnia symptoms than males. The prevalence of IA was similar across genders. Consuming fewer fruits and vegetables and skipping breakfast were linked to increased IA risk, especially in females. Insomnia was significantly associated with higher IA risk in both genders.Conclusion: In LBCs, unhealthy eating and sleep were notably linked to IA, especially in females. Addressing these factors might reduce the prevalence of IA among LBCs.Keywords: eating habits, insomnia, Internet addiction, left-behind children, gender difference
