A cross-sectional descriptive analysis of technology addiction in adolescents: associations with food addiction, emotional eating, and body weight status

Toklu Baloglu, Hilal; Caferoglu Akin, Zeynep

doi:10.1186/s41043-024-00675-4

Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition

Table 1 General participant characteristics in the whole sample and groups by the digital games and social media addiction

From: A cross-sectional descriptive analysis of technology addiction in adolescents: associations with food addiction, emotional eating, and body weight status

Variables^a	All participants(n = 1388)		Sex				GAS				SMD
Variables^a	All participants(n = 1388)		Male (n = 741)		Female (n = 647)		Non-addicted (n = 1101)		Addicted (n = 284)		Non-Addicted (n = 376)		Addicted (n = 103)
Age (years)	12.6	1.1	12.7	1.1	12.5	1.1^*	12.5	1.1	12.8	1.0^*	12.8	1.0	13.1	0.9^*
Sex (male)	741	53.4	741	100	–	–	513	46.6	227	79.9^†	234	62.2	64	62.1
BW (kg)	51.6	13.1	53.2	14.1	49.8	11.6^*	50.8	12.7	55.0	14.0^*	52.1	13.0	56.3	13.1^*
Height (cm)	157	9.2	158	10.2	156	7.7^*	156	9.1	159	9.4^*	159	8.9	160	8.6
WC (cm)	71.5	10.3	73.2	10.9	69.6	9.3^*	70.9	10.2	74.2	10.2^*	71.5	10.7	73.7	10.7
BMI (kg/m²)	20.7	4.1	21.0	4.2	20.4	3.9^*	20.5	4.0	21.5	4.3^*	20.5	4.0	21.7	4.3^*
Overweight (> + 1 SD)	579	41.7	349	47.1	230	35.5^†	433	39.3	146	51.4^†	140	37.2	50	48.5^†
Mother’s age (years)	38.9	5.2	39.1	5.2	38.6	5.1	38.8	5.2	39.2	4.9	39.1	5.2	39.0	4.8
Father’s age (years)	43.0	5.4	43.2	5.4	42.7	5.5	42.8	5.4	43.7	5.7^*	43.5	5.4	43.0	5.4
Mother's job (housewife)	1019	73.4	538	72.9	481	74.8	815	74.5	201	70.8	281	74.9	75	74.3
Father's job (self-employment)	996	71.8	547	74.4	449	70.5	802	73.6	192	68.6	281	75.7	70	68.6
Income status (moderate)	1154	83.1	601	81.1	553	85.5	927	84.2	225	79.2	309	82.2	85	82.5
dYFAS-C 2.0 scores^b,c	6.6	0.3	6.4	0.4	6.9	0.5	5.3	0.3	15.6	0.8^*	9.0	0.6	19.6	1.4^*
Total EES-C scores^b	54.1	15.4	53.6	15.1	54.6	15.7	53.2	15.3	57.3	15.5^*	54.9	14.7	61.5	16.9^*
EES-C-AAF scores^b	25.9	9.0	25.5	8.9	26.2	9.2	25.4	8.9	27.5	9.5^*	26.2	8.7	30.2	10.7^*
EES-C-DEP scores^b	17.7	5.2	17.4	5.1	18.0	5.3^*	17.5	5.1	18.6	5.4^*	18.0	5.1	20.0	5.7^*
EES-C-UNS scores^b	10.5	3.7	10.6	3.6	10.3	3.7	10.3	3.6	11.2	3.8^*	10.7	3.6	11.3	3.8
Total GAS scores^c	11.9	0.2	13.7	0.2	10.2	0.2^*	10.2	0.1	22.3	0.3^*	12.5	0.3	18.8	0.7^*
Addicted (Monothetic)	177	12.8	150	20.3	27	4.2^†	0	0.0	177	62.3^†	44	11.8	53	51.5^†
Addicted (Polythetic)	283	20.4	227	30.7	56	8.7^†	0	0.0	283	99.6^†	80	21.4	64	62.1^†
Addicted (Total)	284	20.5	227	30.7	57	8.8^†	–	–	284	100	80	21.4	64	62.1^†
Total SMD scores^c	1.0	0.1	1.0	0.1	1.0	0.2	0.6	0.1	3.5	0.2^*	0.6	0.1	5.9	0.1^*
Addicted	103	21.5	64	21.5	39	21.5	39	11.7	64	44.4^†	–	–	103	100
Having at least one social media account	881	63.5	524	70.7	357	55.2^†	654	59.4	224	78.9^†	376	100	103	100
Everyday use of social media for the past year	485	55.1	303	57.8	182	51.0^†	337	51.5	146	65.2^†	376	100	103	100

BMI body mass index BW body weight dYFAS‐C 2.0 dimensional Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0 EES-C Emotional Eating Scale Adapted for Use in Children and Adolescents EES-C-AAF Emotional eating in response to anxiety, anger, and frustration EES-C-DEP emotional eating in response to depressive symptoms EES-C-UNS emotional eating in response to feeling unsettled GAS Game Addiction Scale SMD Social Media Disorder Scale WC waist circumference
^*Student's t-test, p < 0.05;^†Chi²-test, p < 0.05
^aValues were given as the number (n) and percentage (%) for qualitative variables and, mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables
^bHigher scores on the EES-C and the dYFAS-C-2.0 represent greater levels of behaviour
^cValues were expressed as geometric mean and standard error for log-transformed variables

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ISSN: 2072-1315

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