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.
Keywords: Cross-sectional study; Depression symptoms severity; Diabetes; PHQ-9; Screen time.
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