Screen time behaviours may interact with obesity genes, independent of physical activity, to influence adolescent BMI in an ethnically diverse cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There has been little investigation of gene-by-environment interactions related to sedentary behaviour, a risk factor for obesity defined as leisure screen time (ST; i.e. television, video and computer games).

Objective

To test the hypothesis that limiting ST use attenuates the genetic predisposition to increased body mass index (BMI), independent of physical activity.

Design

Using 7642 wave II participants of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, (Add Health; mean = 16.4 years, 52.6% female), we assessed the interaction of ST (h week(-1) ) and 41 established obesity single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with age- and sex-specific BMI Z-scores in 4788 European-American (EA), 1612 African-American (AA) and 1242 Hispanic American (HA) adolesc

SUBMITTER: Graff M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3838440 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature