Among children , these interventions demonstrated reduced screen time , increased physical activity , and improved diet- and weight-related outcomes .
CONTEXT Sedentary time spent with screen media is associated with obesity among children and adults .
Obesity has potentially serious health consequences , such as heart disease and diabetes .
This Community Guide systematic review examined the effectiveness and economic efficiency of behavioral interventions aim ed at reducing recreational ( i.e. , neither school- nor work-related ) sedentary screen time , as measured by screen time , physical activity , diet , and weight-related outcomes .
Use of text messaging for monitoring sugar-sweetened beverages, physical activity, and screen time in children: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE To examine acceptability , attrition , adherence , and preliminary efficacy of mobile phone short message service ( SMS ; text messaging ) for monitoring healthful behaviors in children . DESIGN All r and omized children received a brief psychoeducational intervention . They then either monitored target behaviors via SMS with feedback or via paper diaries ( PD ) or participated in a no-monitoring control ( C ) for 8 weeks . SETTING University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . PARTICIPANTS Fifty-eight children ( age 5 - 13 ) and parents participated ; 31 completed ( SMS : 13/18 , PD : 7/18 , C : 11/22 ) . INTERVENTION Children and parents participated in a total of 3 group education sessions ( 1 session weekly for 3 weeks ) to encourage increasing physical activity and decreasing screen time and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Treatment acceptability , attrition , and adherence to self-monitoring . ANALYSIS Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests were used to analyze differences across time and group . RESULTS Children in SMS had somewhat lower attrition ( 28 % ) than both PD ( 61 % ) and C ( 50 % ) , and significantly greater adherence to self-monitoring than PD ( 43 % vs 19 % , P < .02 ) . CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATION S Short message service may be a useful tool for self-monitoring healthful behaviors  in children , although the efficacy of this approach needs further study . Implication s suggest that novel technologies may play a role in improving health
Among children , these interventions demonstrated reduced screen time , increased physical activity , and improved diet- and weight-related outcomes .
CONTEXT Sedentary time spent with screen media is associated with obesity among children and adults .
Obesity has potentially serious health consequences , such as heart disease and diabetes .
This Community Guide systematic review examined the effectiveness and economic efficiency of behavioral interventions aim ed at reducing recreational ( i.e. , neither school- nor work-related ) sedentary screen time , as measured by screen time , physical activity , diet , and weight-related outcomes .