سامانه کنگره های دانشگاه علوم پزشکی و خدمات بهداشتی و درمانی آذربایجان غربی

صفحه اصلی / بیستمین همایش سالیانه بیماری های شایع گوارش و کبد کودکان ایران و دومین همایش بین المللی چاقی کودکان

The Role of Virtual Space in the Prevalence of Childhood Obesity and Healthy Technology-Based Solutions: A Narrative Review Study

نویسندگان :

Parvin Babaei¹ Narges Salavati² Elham Mohammadi³

1- Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran 2- Shoushtar faculty of medical science, Shoushtar, Iran 3- Department of pediatric, faculty of nursing,university of Arak,Arak,Iran

کلمات کلیدی :

Virtual space،Childhood obesity،Screen time،Prevention

چکیده :

Introduction Today, virtual space has rapidly become an integral part of children's lives. Constant use of social media and online games is recognized as a risk factor for children's health. According to the World Health Organization, more than 39 million children under the age of 5 are overweight. This space, in addition to educational and communication opportunities, also poses numerous challenges. Given the importance of children's health as the future builders of society, this study examines the role of virtual space in the prevalence of childhood obesity and provides healthy technology-based solutions. Materials and Methods This review study was conducted using advanced search and Boolean operators. The keywords "virtual space," "childhood obesity," "screen time," and "prevention" were searched in databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, as well as in Persian databases SID and Magiran. The time frame for studies was considered between 2015 and 2025. After removing duplicate and irrelevant articles, a screening process including reviewing titles, abstracts, and full texts of articles was performed, and finally, 5 studies that matched the inclusion criteria were selected. Results The results indicate that children, as a vulnerable population, are affected by virtual space. This space has both positive and negative consequences. Among its benefits, increased creativity and scientific progress can be mentioned. However, decreased physical activity, excessive use of virtual space, and prolonged time spent watching it, video games, and social media activity are directly related to increased rates of obesity in children. In addition to reducing physical activity, this issue leads to unhealthy food consumption and sleep pattern disturbances, all of which are effective factors in increasing children's weight. On the other hand, technology-based solutions, such as mobile applications for nutrition monitoring, interactive games that encourage children to physical activity, and online educational programs that provide information about healthy nutrition and exercise, have had positive effects in reducing childhood obesity. Conclusion According to the reviews and findings, this space can be considered as a second dimension of real life that requires appropriate culture building. Just as in real life, many factors such as customs, religion, economic status, and education level play a role in determining lifestyle, these factors are also influential in virtual space. Therefore, education policymakers should provide the ground for proper use of virtual space by providing appropriate solutions and educating children on healthy use of virtual space. Also, planning to limit screen time and introducing healthy technologies simultaneously can be an effective solution in combating the crisis of childhood obesity.