Abstract

Objective: To determine the association between screen time and junk food consumption among adolescents aged 13-18 years in Karachi.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in schools in Karachi. Data was collected face-to-face from different schools in Karachi in February 2023. A closed-ended questionnaire was distributed among the study participants who were selected through convenience sampling. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Chi-square test was used to find out the association between different variables.
Results: A significant association was observed between junk food consumption and leisure screen time on both weekends and weekdays. On weekends, higher leisure screen time (>4 hours) was significantly associated with more frequent consumption of fast food (χ² = 9.21, p=0.01), savory snacks (χ² = 14.55, p=0.001), and soft drinks (χ² = 11.65, p=0.003). A similar pattern was noted on weekdays, with significant associations for fast food (χ² = 8.03, p=0.01), savory snacks (χ² = 6.07, p=0.04), and particularly soft drinks, which showed the strongest relationship (χ² = 21.79, p

Key words: Screen time, fast foods, adolescents.