Associations Between Screen Time and Mindfulness and Eating Behaviors Among Turkish School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Increasing screen time in childhood has been suggested to impact physical health, eating behaviors, and well-being. This study investigated how screen time affects mindfulness, mindful eating, and diet quality in Turkish adolescents aged 9-12 years. One hundred thirty-seven participants completed surveys on anthropometry, screen time, the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire, the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index, the Mindful Eating Questionnaire for Children, and the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure. The average screen time was 4.43 ± 2.37 h/day. Significant negative correlations emerged between screen time and mindfulness (r = -0.471, < 0.001), as well as between screen time and diet quality (r = -0.244, < 0.05). A regression analysis revealed significant associations only for mindfulness (B = -0.158, < 0.001) and age (B = 0.636, = 0.002). Higher mindfulness and younger age correlated with lower screen time, suggesting mindfulness interventions in schools may reduce screen use.