Evidence mapPaperPMID 41484343Full record

SynthesisCurrent obesity reports2026

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies Exploring the Link Between Physical Inactivity and Indicators of Childhood Overweight/Obesity and Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity Risk in Western Countries.

Michael Georgoulis, Ismini Grapsa, Giannis Arnaoutis, Alexandra Karachaliou, Demosthenes Panagiotakos, Georgios Saltaouras, Eirini Bathrellou, Mary Yannakoulia, George Dimitrakopoulos, Meropi D Kontogianni

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-AnalysisReview
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Current obesity reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Michael GeorgoulisDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Ismini GrapsaDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Giannis ArnaoutisDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Alexandra KarachaliouDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Demosthenes PanagiotakosDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Georgios SaltaourasDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Eirini BathrellouDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Mary YannakouliaDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
George DimitrakopoulosDepartment of Informatics and Telematics, School of Digital Technology, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Meropi D KontogianniDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece. mkont@hua.gr.

Funding

European Union's HORIZON 2022 research and innovation program BIO-STREAMS project, GA No: 101080718
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhysical inactivity (PI) is a major contributor to adiposity and cardiometabolic morbidity.

objectiveTo synthesize evidence of the association between PI and childhood overweight/obesity (OV/OB) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO; OB accompanied by cardiometabolic abnormalities) risk.

methodsA systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023482960). Studies conducted in Western countries with 2-19-year-old participants, PI-related exposures (time/frequency of engagement in various sedentary behaviors) and interventions (targeting PI reduction), OV/OB-/MUO-related outcomes and ≥ 12-month follow-up were extracted from PubMed and Scopus (publication timeframe: 01/01/2013-30/06/2024). Study quality was assessed through risk of bias (RoB).

resultsAmong 86 prospective epidemiological studies with OV/OB-related outcomes (42% high-RoB), PI was evaluated objectively (accelerometry) in 34 and subjectively (questionnaires) in 57 (29% and 68% reported detrimental associations, respectively). In random-effects meta-analysis, subjectively-assessed total screen time was positively associated with body mass index (BMI) [n = 4; beta (95%CI): 0.116 (0.037, 0.195) kg/m2] and BMI z-score [n = 8; beta (95%CI): 0.032 (0.002, 0.063)], while television viewing was positively associated with BMI [n = 3; beta (95%CI): 0.227 (0.025, 0.428) kg/m2], BMI z-score [n = 4; beta (95%CI): 0.042 (0.007, 0.077)] and OV/OB incidence [n = 5; logRR (95%CI): 0.089 (0.044, 0.133)]. The sole RCT (low-RoB) indicated a beneficial effect of reducing sedentariness on anthropometric indices. Two prospective epidemiological studies (high-RoB) suggested positive associations between subjectively-assessed total screen time and MUO-related outcomes.

conclusionsScreen time is positively associated with indicators of childhood OV/OB risk, while limited evidence also supports its detrimental role in MUO.

Indexed as

Pediatric ObesitySedentary BehaviorAdolescentBody Mass IndexChildChild, PreschoolExerciseHumansLongitudinal StudiesRisk FactorsChildhood obesityPhysical inactivityScreen timeSedentary behavior

Identifiers

PMID41484343
PMCPMC12764636

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.