Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31778942›Full record

SynthesisSleep medicine reviews2020

Associations of screen time, sedentary time and physical activity with sleep in under 5s: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Xanne Janssen, Anne Martin, Adrienne R Hughes, Catherine M Hill, Grigorios Kotronoulas, Kathryn R Hesketh

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sleep medicine reviews, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 139 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
139citing papers in PubMed, 12 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

139 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  16. Multidimensional Sleep Health of Toddlers With Down Syndrome: A Descriptive Study Guided by the Pediatric Sleep Health Framework.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association · 2026
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79 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Xanne JanssenUniversity of Strathclyde, School of Psychological Science and Health, Glasgow, UK. Electronic address: xanne.janssen@strath.ac.uk.
Anne MartinUniversity of Glasgow, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow, UK.
Adrienne R HughesUniversity of Strathclyde, School of Psychological Science and Health, Glasgow, UK.
Catherine M HillSchool of Clinical Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK; Institute of Education, University College London, UK; Southampton Children's Hospital, UK.
Grigorios KotronoulasSchool of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing, University of Glasgow, UK.
Kathryn R HeskethUKCRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, UK.

Funding

British Heart FoundationChief Scientist Office SPHSU14Department of HealthMedical Research Council MC_UU_12017/14Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 107337/Z/15/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sleep is crucial to children's health and development. Reduced physical activity and increased screen time adversely impact older children's sleep, but little is known about these associations in children under 5 y. This systematic review examined the association between screen time/movement behaviors (sedentary behavior, physical activity) and sleep outcomes in infants (0-1 y); toddlers (1-2 y); and preschoolers (3-4 y). Evidence was selected according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and synthesized using vote counting based on the direction of association. Quality assessment and a Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation was performed, stratified according to child age, exposure and outcome measure. Thirty-one papers were included. Results indicate that screen time is associated with poorer sleep outcomes in infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Meta-analysis confirmed these unfavorable associations in infants and toddlers but not preschoolers. For movement behaviors results were mixed, though physical activity and outdoor play in particular were favorably associated with most sleep outcomes in toddlers and preschoolers. Overall, quality of evidence was very low, with strongest evidence for daily/evening screen time use in toddlers and preschoolers. Although high-quality experimental evidence is required, our findings should prompt parents, clinicians and educators to encourage sleep-promoting behaviors (e.g., less evening screen time) in the under 5s.

Indexed as

ExerciseScreen TimeSedentary BehaviorSleepAge FactorsChild, PreschoolHumansInfantInfant, NewbornInfantPhysical activityPreschoolScreen timeSedentary behaviorSleepToddler

Identifiers

PMID31778942
PMCPMC7034412

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.