The association between screen time and depression symptoms severity among adults with diabetes: A cross-sectional study

Objective

To investigate the association between time spent on screen-based sedentary behavior (SBSB) and depression symptom severity (DSS) among adults with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

A cross-sectional study employing secondary data collected by Qatar Biobank (QBB) on 2386 adults with type 2 diabetes aged ≥ 18 years. Self-reported data on DSS measured using the Patient Health Quationnaire-9 and daily time spent on SBSB per week was used.

Results

After adjusting for covariates, including physical activity and sleep duration, subjects who spent 2–4 h or > 4 h a day on SBSB watching TV or other devices other than computers during weekdays had increased odds of higher DSS than subjects who spent < 1 h by 44% (95% Confidence interval (CI) 13–83%) and 52% (95% CI 17–96%), respectively. Subjects who spent > 4 h a day on SBSB using computers during weekdays had increased odds of higher DSS by 115% (95% CI 56–196%) than subjects who spent < 1 h. Similar associations were observed between time spent on SBSB using the mentioned devices during weekends and DSS.

Conclusion

Increase in time spent on SBSB is independently associated with increased DSS among adults with type 2 diabetes regardless of the equipment used or timing of the week.