Associations Between Screen Time and Glycemic Control in Adults with and without Type 2 Diabetes

The purpose of this study was to assess the associations between screen time and glycemic control, as measured by glycated hemoglobin levels, in middle-aged to older adults with and without type 2 diabetes. Adults participated in the study where screen time was subjectively measured through an 18-item screen-time questionnaire. Total sedentary time was subjectively measured using the Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire. A finger stick blood draw was completed to measure HbA1c. Participants then completed a food frequency questionnaire online using the NIH Diet History Questionnaire III. Pearson correlation analyses were used to assess the simple and partial associations among the variables while controlling for age, sex, and dietary carbohydrates. The majority of participants were non-Hispanic white, non-smokers and had family history of Type 2 diabetes. On average, participants spent 53% of the waking day in sedentary behavior. Significant positive correlations were found between HbA1c and total sedentary behavior, screen time and background screen time. Our participants spent large amounts of their day engaged in sedentary behavior, which is consistent with national data. Moreover, of this time spent in sedentary behavior, the majority was spent looking at a screen. Our preliminarily findings suggest that increased screen time is associated with higher HbA1c and risk of type 2 diabetes