The effect of Internet use on adolescent nutritional outcomes: evidence from China
Abstract Background The increasing prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity poses significant public health challenges, particularly in China. With the rapid adoption of the Internet, adolescents’ lifestyles, including dietary habits and physical activity levels, have undergone substantial ch...
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-025-00856-9 |
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| author | Weigang Liu Yanjun Ren Jian Liu Jens-Peter Loy |
| author_facet | Weigang Liu Yanjun Ren Jian Liu Jens-Peter Loy |
| author_sort | Weigang Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The increasing prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity poses significant public health challenges, particularly in China. With the rapid adoption of the Internet, adolescents’ lifestyles, including dietary habits and physical activity levels, have undergone substantial changes. However, the causal relationship between Internet use and adolescent nutritional outcomes, especially in transitional economies, remains underexplored. Methods This study employs longitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) and China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to investigate the impact of Internet use on adolescents’ BMI-for-age z-scores and overweight status. An endogenous switching regression (ESR) model addresses potential self-selection bias. Heterogeneity analyses examine urban–rural and gender differences, while mechanism analyses identify dietary pathways influencing outcomes. Results Internet use increases BMI-for-age z-scores and the likelihood of being overweight among adolescents, with more intensive Internet use further amplifying these effects. These effects hold across urban and rural areas as well as for both boys and girls, though the magnitude may vary. Mechanism analyses suggest that Internet use enhances protein intake while also leading to higher consumption of fast food and soft drinks. Conclusion Internet use increases BMI-for-age z-scores and overweight risks among adolescents, reinforcing the need for targeted interventions to mitigate its negative health impacts. Policies promoting healthier online behaviors and better access to nutritional education are essential to ensuring that adolescents develop healthy lifestyle habits in the digital age. Addressing these challenges can help policymakers develop equitable health strategies for adolescents in transitional economies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e9bc5f9e398f496690d0de84217308dd |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2072-1315 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-e9bc5f9e398f496690d0de84217308dd2025-08-20T02:30:18ZengBMCJournal of Health, Population and Nutrition2072-13152025-04-0144111610.1186/s41043-025-00856-9The effect of Internet use on adolescent nutritional outcomes: evidence from ChinaWeigang Liu0Yanjun Ren1Jian Liu2Jens-Peter Loy3Department of Agricultural Economics, Kiel UniversityCollege of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F UniversityDepartment of Agricultural Markets, Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO)Department of Agricultural Economics, Kiel UniversityAbstract Background The increasing prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity poses significant public health challenges, particularly in China. With the rapid adoption of the Internet, adolescents’ lifestyles, including dietary habits and physical activity levels, have undergone substantial changes. However, the causal relationship between Internet use and adolescent nutritional outcomes, especially in transitional economies, remains underexplored. Methods This study employs longitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) and China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to investigate the impact of Internet use on adolescents’ BMI-for-age z-scores and overweight status. An endogenous switching regression (ESR) model addresses potential self-selection bias. Heterogeneity analyses examine urban–rural and gender differences, while mechanism analyses identify dietary pathways influencing outcomes. Results Internet use increases BMI-for-age z-scores and the likelihood of being overweight among adolescents, with more intensive Internet use further amplifying these effects. These effects hold across urban and rural areas as well as for both boys and girls, though the magnitude may vary. Mechanism analyses suggest that Internet use enhances protein intake while also leading to higher consumption of fast food and soft drinks. Conclusion Internet use increases BMI-for-age z-scores and overweight risks among adolescents, reinforcing the need for targeted interventions to mitigate its negative health impacts. Policies promoting healthier online behaviors and better access to nutritional education are essential to ensuring that adolescents develop healthy lifestyle habits in the digital age. Addressing these challenges can help policymakers develop equitable health strategies for adolescents in transitional economies.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-025-00856-9Internet useNutritional outcomesBMI-for-age z-scoreOverweight |
| spellingShingle | Weigang Liu Yanjun Ren Jian Liu Jens-Peter Loy The effect of Internet use on adolescent nutritional outcomes: evidence from China Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition Internet use Nutritional outcomes BMI-for-age z-score Overweight |
| title | The effect of Internet use on adolescent nutritional outcomes: evidence from China |
| title_full | The effect of Internet use on adolescent nutritional outcomes: evidence from China |
| title_fullStr | The effect of Internet use on adolescent nutritional outcomes: evidence from China |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of Internet use on adolescent nutritional outcomes: evidence from China |
| title_short | The effect of Internet use on adolescent nutritional outcomes: evidence from China |
| title_sort | effect of internet use on adolescent nutritional outcomes evidence from china |
| topic | Internet use Nutritional outcomes BMI-for-age z-score Overweight |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-025-00856-9 |
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