Objective To analyze the changes in screen viewing behavior among adolescents before and after an intervention and to evaluate the effects and relevant influencing factors.
Methods Two middle schools from all middle schools registered to each of the two districts randomly selected over all districts of Shanghai were randomly selected and divided into an intervention group and a control group, and each group recruited all Grade 6 and Grade 7 students in the selected middle schools. A comprehensive one-year intervention program on screen viewing behavior featured with health education was adopted in the intervention group, while the control group received no intervention measures. A follow-up survey was conducted after one year and evaluation was performed for before-and-after-the-intervention comparison.
Results After intervention, the correct answer rate of “the health effects of unduly screen viewing time” of intervention group was higher (87.1%) than that of the control group (81.7%) (P<0.01); no differences were found in other knowledge items. The difference of screen viewing time before and after the intervention was not significant between the intervention group and the control group.
Conclusion Due to the limitations encountered during the intervention program execution, the overall behavior improvement does not reach the expected effect. It suggests the complexities of adolescents' screen viewing behavior and the difficulties of effective interventions.
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