## 4 Discussion
### Sedentary Behavior  
The presented results demonstrate females spent the largest amount of time sitting compared with males which is in accordance with other studies [70; 71]. Boys were more physically active than girls, according to previous studies, and there was a consistent relationship between gender and objectively assessed SB in children and adolescents [70; 72].  
[PERSON] et al. [51] reported that in Qatar during a six-hour school day, the average duration in sedentary time was 194.8 \(\pm\) 38 min. This is relatively high when compared to a study that found in a seven-hour school day, children can spend between 150 and 200 min in sedentary activities [73]. This difference is a cause for concern and signifies the need to re-evaluate the non-PE classes, in which children are more likely to be sedentary.  
Comparative surveys about sitting time in Arab countries indicate that between one-quarter and more than one-third of adolescents aged 13-15 spend more than 3 h a day sitting--watching TV, playing computer games, talking with friends or doing other sedentary activities [74]. A study on the number of hours Saudi adolescents aged 14-19 spend sitting, watching TV and playing computer games every day found a mean of 5.27 h/day among males and 6.6 h/day among females [54]. Another study among adolescents from Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, found that male adolescents (aged 15-17) spent 4.99 h/day on sedentary activity, while females (aged 13-17) spent 5.78 h/day [56].  
According to the most current Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) cycle (2016-2017), young males were significantly less sedentary than young females. With the exception of the 2007-2009 (CHMS) cycle, this change was not noticeable in earlier cycles [75]. This tendency is troubling because early-life gender differences in remuneration continue into later childhood and beyond [63].  
Evidence from a systematic review reported inconsistent gender effects for screen time in young children [70; 76; 77]. Based on the summation of time consumed in screen behaviors (i.e., video games, computer, television), our data showed that young boys exhibited more screen time than girls [77]. More recent data indicated that the gender differences in screen time may be decreasing but augmented by additional types of SB [75].  
Boys recorded viewing more TV than girls, according to data from the HBSC between 2001 and 2009 [78]. However, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2012 showed no discernible difference in TV viewing across the genders [79]. [PERSON] et al.'s [75] observation that girls engaged in more leisure reading and boys played more video games per day (boys: 0.35-2.68 vs. girls: 0.09-2.15 h/day) suggests that there are various sorts of SB for boys and girls.  
However, as these studies pre-date the smartphone proliferation, it is unlikely these screen times are reflective of the type of screen time in 2023. Considering type of SB, those with greater household education or higher education reported more leisure reading and passive travel. Thus, although females may spend more time in SB, if more of it is reading, this has positive health outcomes (e.g., mental health, mental wellbeing, cognitive function, language development) which may outweigh (or at least attenuate) the negative effects of SB. That being said, whilst females may spend more time reading, the data of [PERSON] et al. [75] suggest this is only \(\sim\)20 min more per day. Data from the present study suggest females are sedentary over an hour more than males. Thus, this greater reading time unlikely makes amends for the time difference in SB.