Peter E. H. Schwarz

Screen time among children in most European countries is notably high and is influenced by various sociodemographic and other factors. Our study aimed to explore the associations between parents’ sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, risk status for type 2 diabetes, and their children’s BMI, physical activity, and screen time. The data were sourced from the 2016 Feel4Diabetes study, involving 12,280 parents and 12,211 children aged 6–9 years (average age 8.21 years) in a cross-sectional study design. We used a logistic regression model to identify potential factors associated with children’s screen time. The results showed that mothers with tertiary education (OR = 0.64; 95%CI = 0.49–0.82; p < 0.001), the middle age group (45–54 years) (OR = 0.81 95%CI = 0.66–0.98; p = 0.033), and families with higher incomes (middle–OR = 0.85; 95%CI = 0.75–0.97; p = 0.014; high–OR = 0.8; 95%CI = 0.69–0.93; p = 0.003) were associated with a decreased chance of children spending more than 2 h/day in front of the screen. In contrast, maternal overweight/obesity (OR = 1.15; 95%CI = 1.03–1.29; p = 0.013) and lower physical activity in children were linked to an increased likelihood of more than 2 h of screen time per day. Our findings suggest that targeted interventions should be developed to mitigate excessive screen time, particularly focusing on low-income families and mothers with low educational levels.

(1) Background: This study aimed at providing preliminary evidence for mebix, an app-based treatment program for patients with diabetes mellitus type II. The main target was to show a positive healthcare impact as defined by improved blood glucose control, i.e., reduced HbA1c values. (2) Methods: For this, a 3-month, prospective, open-label trial with an intraindividual control group was conducted. Participants received the mebix intervention for 3 months. HbA1c values were observed every 3 months: retrospectively, at baseline, and 3 months after the start of using the app. Additionally, weight and patients’ reported outcomes (well-being, diabetes-related distress, and self-management) were assessed. Data generated within the app were summarized and analyzed (steps, physical activity, fulfilled tasks, and food logs). (3) Results: After the usage of mebix for 3 months, participants significantly reduced their HbA1c levels (−1.0 ± 0.8%). Moreover, improvements in weight, well-being, and self-management as well as a reduction in diabetes-related distress were observed. App-generated data mainly supported the other main finding, that higher baseline HbA1c values lead to higher reductions. Overall, the study provided preliminary evidence that mebix can help patients improve metabolic and psychological health outcomes.