Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Medha S. Talpade

Abstract

Obesity has quickly become an epidemic that affects adults and youth not only in the United States, but also increasingly elsewhere in the global community. Research suggests that most children and adolescents spend a significant amount of time indulging in screen-based leisure, especially on social media. Such behavior may also be linked to sedentary lifestyle, which can impact an individual’s body mass index (BMI). There is a lack of understanding concerning how sedentary behavior moderates the relationship between screen time spent on different types of social media and BMI among young adults in the United States. To address this research problem, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to (a) examine the relationship between screen time on different types of social media (social networking sites, image-sharing sites, discussion sites, and video-hosting sites) and an individual’s BMI and (b) determine how sedentariness moderates the relationship between screen time and BMI. Rosenstock's health belief model guided the study. English-fluent adults aged 18 to 25 years old living in the United States were the target population. A target sample size of 120 participants was selected from multiple states. The data collection process consisted of an online survey that included the Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire and additional questions about BMI, social media screen time, and participant demographics. The descriptive and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings from this research may inform new insights about the health implications of time spent on social media for young adults, as well as lifestyle changes that could potentially lower rates of obesity and improve quality of life.

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