A recent article titled “Teens should put down phones and exercise to improve mental health: CHEO study” in the August 13th edition of the Ottawa Citizen features Dr. Mark Tremblay‘s study connecting teen mental well-being to screen time and physical activity.
From the story:
Published earlier this week in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, the study was the product of a collaboration between Dr. Mark Tremblay, a senior scientist at the CHEO Research Institute, and Australia’s Dr. Asad Khan, of the University of Queensland.
The new study – the largest of its kind – examined data from more than 577,000 adolescents living in 42 North American and European countries. The data was drawn from cross-sectional surveys conducted before the pandemic in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
The researchers found that mental wellbeing declined when adolescents (13 to 15 years old) indulged in more than two hours of recreational screen time a day. “The greater the screen time, the greater the symptoms,” said Dr. Tremblay.
The researchers also found a direct relationship between exercise and wellbeing: Teenagers’ sense of mental wellbeing improved with each additional day that they did at least one hour of exercise.
“We know that a high screen time isn’t a profile that’s ideal for mental wellbeing,” Tremblay said, “but you can help to mitigate it by being physically active.”
To read the full story, please click here.
