Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40536737›Full record

ArticleIrish journal of medical science2025

Digital habits and physical health: a study of screen time and BMI among young healthcare profession students and residents.

Hooria Rahim, Bilal Ahmad, Khoban Rahim, Zainab Fatima, Ayesha Humayun, Hafiza Asma Nazir, Arzoo Rahim, Maryam Shafiq, Eman Azam, Muhammad Usman

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Article in Irish journal of medical science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Hooria RahimDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental College, Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. hooriacentral@gmail.com.
Bilal AhmadDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental College, Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-8911-0955
Khoban RahimServices Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Zainab FatimaDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental College, Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-5155-1537
Ayesha HumayunDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental College, Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Hafiza Asma NazirDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental College, Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Arzoo RahimKing Edward Medical University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Maryam ShafiqDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental College, Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Eman AzamDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental College, Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Muhammad UsmanDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental College, Shaikh Zayed Post-Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAverage screen time has increased drastically after the COVID-19 pandemic. It has raised concerns about the adverse effects, including the effect on BMI.

aimThe present study is conducted to study the relationship between screen time and BMI among medical students at a medical institute in Lahore, Pakistan.

methodsFor this cross-sectional study, a sample of 370 medical students and residents was obtained from a medical institute in Pakistan. An online survey to gather data about screen time activities, device usage, and BMI. Screen time was categorized into low (1-2 h/day), moderate (3-4 h/day), and high (5-6 h/day), while BMI score was calculated and categorized into under-weight, normal, overweight, and obese groups. Descriptive and inferential statistics including Spearman correlation analysis were applied using IBM SPSS 25.0.

resultsMost participants fell into the normal BMI category (79%), with a smaller proportion classified as overweight (16%) or obese (5%). Most participants preferred using smartphones (92.1%). About 41% of participants had high screen time. There was a strong positive correlation between low screen time and normal BMI (r = 0.999). However, only 2.9% of the participants had low screen time. The link between higher screen time and obesity is observed especially in males, while females maintain a more stable normal weight, suggesting gender-based lifestyle or metabolic differences.

conclusionScreen time is significantly associated with BMI with a strong positive correlation as well. There is need to design educational programs to raise awareness about the safe use of devices and the amount of screen time.

Indexed as

Body Mass IndexScreen TimeStudents, MedicalAdultCOVID-19Cross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansInternship and ResidencyMaleObesityOverweightPakistanSARS-CoV-2SmartphoneSurveys and QuestionnairesBMIHeightObesityScreen timeSmart phoneWeight

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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.