The relationship between screen time and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Chinese preschool children under the multi-child policy: a cross-sectional survey

Background: Long screen time has become a public health problem that cannot be ignored. The association between screen time and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has received widespread attention in preschool children. Methods: A questionnaire survey was used to investigate 2452 people. ADHD symptoms were assessed by the Conners Child Behavior Scale. Considering that the hyperactivity index of boys and girls might be quite different, this study conducted all the studies by gender. Generalized linear model was used for regression analysis. In order to exclude the influence of overweight and obese children, we also conducted a sensitivity analysis. P values were two-tailed with a significance level at 0.05. Results: The results showed that the average daily screen time of preschool children was more than 1 hour, of which the average screen time on weekends was 1.13±0.80 hours per day. Screen time on weekends has a significant effect on ADHD symptoms of preschool children. And the eldest child was more likely to be affected by screen time in muti-child families.Subgroup analysis found that conclusions were similar in different genders and BMI children. Conclusions: The issue of weekend screen time for preschoolers needs to be taken seriously, especially for eldest child in multi-child families.