Gender Differences in Excessive Screen Time among Chinese High School Students in Henan Province

Zhenti Cui, Ping Zou, Zihan Lin, Yingdong Cao and Yan Luo ()
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Zhenti Cui: School of Nursing, Sias University, Zhengzhou 451100, China
Ping Zou: Scholar Practitioner Program, School of Nursing, Faculty of Education and Professional Studies, Nipissing University, Toronto, ON M5T 1V4, Canada
Zihan Lin: Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China
Yingdong Cao: School of Nursing, Sias University, Zhengzhou 451100, China
Yan Luo: Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: In a technology-driven society, adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the effects of excessive screen time, and gender disparities are notable. However, evidence on the gender difference in excessive screen time among Chinese high school students is scarce. This study examined gender differences in excessive screen time and its impact on mental health and urinary incontinence among 15,055 high school-aged adolescents, including 7514 (49.9%) males and 7541 (50.1%) females with the mean age of 16.72 (SD 0.88) in Henan Province, China. A stratified two-stage cluster sampling design was applied. Mental Health Inventory of Middle School Students and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire—Short Form was used to collect data about mental health and urinary incontinence status. The percentage of students reporting excessive screen time was 9.4%, predominantly male (15.3% versus 3.5%; p < 0.001). Physical disease, living on campus, and cigarette or alcohol consumption were common factors associated with excessive screen time in both genders. Students in their second or third year showed significantly lower rates of excessive screen time than their peers. In males, younger age, active sexual behavior, chronic constipation, and having a mother with a Ph.D. degree were factors associated with a higher probability of reporting excessive screen time, while females living in a rural–urban continuum or whose mothers have a junior college degree were associated with higher odds of reporting excessive screen times. Excessive screen time was significantly positively correlated with mental health problems and urinary incontinence ( p < 0.05). Results suggests the need to address excessive screen time and to focus separately on the mechanisms influencing excessive screen time in males and females.

Keywords: excessive screen time; epidemiology; associated factors; gender difference; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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