Latent class analysis of physical activity, screen time and sleep: Association with obesity in youth

Abstract

Obesity is a major public health concern, that has demonstrated a considerable global increase in recent years, including in low and middle-income countries. However, there are still gaps in the literature regarding the combined influence of physical activity, screen time, and sleep on obesity in young people, particularly during the transition phase from adolescence to adulthood. This study aimed to identify latent classes based on physical activity, screen time, and sleep behaviors among youths and analyze the association of these behavioral clusters with obesity. This is a cross-sectional study, conducted as part of a school-based epidemiological survey with state-wide coverage, involving 2,925 young people aged 14 to 19 years. Information was obtained using a translated, self-administered, and previously tested version of the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS). Binary logistic regression was performed to analyze the association between the cluster of physical activity, screen time, and sleep behaviors with obesity. In total, 13.3% of the young people were obese,31.1% reported being active per week, 35.5% had low screen time per day, and 38.3% had adequate nighttime sleep. It is concluded that there was no association between the clusters of physical activity, screen time, and sleep behaviors with obesity in the analysis for the total sample and in the analyses stratified by sex