SynthesisMedicine2016
The effect of interventions targeting screen time reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 91 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effects of Exergames on Fundamental Movement Skills in Childhood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2026Pooled it
- Interventions to Reduce Screen Time in Preschool-Aged Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- Shared Determinants of Poor Sleep, Obesity and Adiposity in Adolescents Aged 8-18-Years: A Systematic Review.Journal of sleep research · 2025Pooled it
- Review Article: The effectiveness of school-based interventions for reducing screen time - a systematic review and meta-analysis.Child and adolescent mental health · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of intervention on screen time in preschoolers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of economic evidence for community-based obesity prevention interventions in children.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2023Pooled it
- Identifying effective intervention strategies to reduce children's screen time: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2021Pooled it
- The effectiveness of sedentary behaviour interventions on sitting time and screen time in children and adults: an umbrella review of systematic reviews.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2020Pooled it
- Video Games, Obesity, and Children.Current obesity reports · 2020Pooled it
- Latin American interventions in children and adolescents' sedentary behavior: a systematic review.Revista de saude publica · 2020Pooled it
- Sedentary behaviour and adiposity in youth: a systematic review of reviews and analysis of causality.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2017Pooled it
- Effects of interrupting daily sedentary behavior on children's glucose metabolism: A 6-day randomized controlled trial.Pediatric diabetes · 2022Trial
- Reducing screen-time and unhealthy snacking in 9-11 year old children: the Kids FIRST pilot randomised controlled trial.BMC public health · 2020Trial
- INSIGHT responsive parenting intervention reduces infant's screen time and television exposure.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2018Trial
- Article
- Impact of family bonding therapy on childhood screen addiction in urban Kerala.Bioinformation · 2026Article
- Managing Screen Use in the Under-Fives: Recommendations for Parenting Intervention Development.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2023Article
- Association between Children's Difficulties, Parent-Child Sleep, Parental Control, and Children's Screen Time: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan.Pediatric reports · 2023Article
- Decreasing Sedentary Behaviors in Youth to Prevent and Manage Childhood Obesity: Is It Realistic?Current atherosclerosis reports · 2023Review
- Association of lifestyle and sociodemographic factors on multimorbidity: a cross-sectional study in Portugal.BMC public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Previous studies have evaluated the effectiveness of interventions aimed at screen time reduction, but the results have been inconsistent. We therefore conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to summarize the accumulating evidence of the impact of interventions targeting screen time reduction on body mass index (BMI) reduction and screen time reduction. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases were searched for RCTs on the effect of interventions targeting screen time reduction. The primary and secondary outcomes were the mean difference between the treatment and control groups in the changes in BMI and changes in screen viewing time. A random effects model was used to calculate the pooled mean differences. Fourteen trials including 2238 participants were assessed. The pooled analysis suggested that interventions targeting screen time reduction had a significant effect on BMI reduction (-0.15 kg/m, P < 0.001, I = 0) and on screen time reduction (-4.63 h/w, P = 0.003, I = 94.6%). Subgroup analysis showed that a significant effect of screen time reduction was observed in studies in which the duration of intervention was <7 months and that the types of interventions in those studies were health promotion curricula or counseling. Interventions for screen time reduction might be effective in reducing screen time and preventing excess weight. Further rigorous investigations with larger samples and longer follow-up periods are still needed to evaluate the efficacy of screen time reduction both in children and in adults.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.