10. Screen Time and Moderate-to-Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity among Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

Purpose: The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home mandates, remote learning, and social distancing requirements led to changes in nearly all facets of adolescents ’ lives; however, the pandemic ’ s effect on adolescent screen time and physical activity has not been characterized using national data from the U.S. The aim of this study was to evaluate adolescents ’ screen use and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) during the COVID-19 pandemic by sociodemographic char-acteristics, and to determine mental health and resiliency factors associated with screen use and MVPA. Methods: Data from the Year 1 (2017-2019) and May 2020 COVID-19 survey of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a national prospective cohort study in the U.S., were analyzed. Average hours per day spent on six forms of screen time were summed to calculate a total daily screen time measure, excluding hours spent on school-related work. MVPA was quanti fi ed as the product of reported duration and frequency (hours per week; h ∙ wk-1), which was further summarized as the proportion meeting age-appropriate 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (i.e., 60 minutes per day). Mental health and resiliency measures were also collected. Regression models examined associations between mental health or resiliency measures and screen time or MVPA during the pandemic. Results: The sample consisted of 5,153 adolescents predominantly ages 12-13 years, with 50.6% female and 39.5% racial/ethnic minorities. During the pandemic, adolescents reported an average of 7.70 hours of screen use per day, mostly spent on watching/ streaming videos, movies, or television shows (2.42 hours), multi-player gaming (1.44 hours), and single-player gaming (1.17 hours).