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The effect of Internet use on body weight in Chinese adolescents: Evidence from a nationally longitudinal survey

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  • Junqi Ma
  • Li Sheng

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents has been increasing steadily. This study aims to investigates the causal effect and underlying mechanisms between Internet use and body weight among Chinese adolescents. Using data from China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) spanning from 2004 to 2015, the analytical sample includes 3054 participants (aged 11–19, 48% females). We exploit ordinary least squares (OLS) and two-stage least squares (2SLS) models, obtained causal effect of Internet use on body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity among adolescents. We find a significant positive effect of Internet use on BMI (β = 0.499, p 0.1). The mechanism is that Internet use increases sedentary activities (mainly screen time) and food consumption behavior, which results in an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure that in turn increases BMI and overweight. Furthermore, the longer the time spent playing games online, the greater the probability of adolescents being overweight (β = 0.012, p

Suggested Citation

  • Junqi Ma & Li Sheng, 2024. "The effect of Internet use on body weight in Chinese adolescents: Evidence from a nationally longitudinal survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(12), pages 1-22, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0311996
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311996
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