Association of sedentary time with school bullying among adolescents in 74 countries: A population-based study

Abstract

Background

Numerous studies have demonstrated the association between sedentary behavior and bullying among adolescents. However, few have explored the “dose-response” relationship between the frequency of sedentary behavior and school bullying. We aimed to evaluate the “dose-response” relationship between leisure sedentary time and school bullying among adolescents.

Methods

We used data from the most recent Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS), conducted between 2009 and 2019 from 74 countries. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the association between leisure sedentary time and school bullying.

Results

A total of 222,172 adolescents aged 12–17 years from 74 countries were included. Overall, 29.8 % of adolescents reported having sedentary time ≥ 3 h/d, and 14.9 % reported experiencing school bullying. Compared with sedentary time < 1 h/d, increased sedentary time (except for 1–2 h/d: OR = 1.02, 95 % CI = 0.83–1.24) were associated with school bullying (3–4 h/d: OR = 1.16, 95 % CI = 1.01–1.34; ≥5 h/d: OR = 1.40, 95 % CI = 1.23–1.58).

Limitations

The data assessing school bullying and sedentary time were derived from self-reported survey questionnaires, potentially introducing recall bias.

Conclusions

School bullying is still widespread globally, and is associated with an extended period of leisure sedentary time. Efforts to reduce sedentary behavior among adolescents may potentially make a substantial impact on reducing the incidence of school bullying.