Playing video games for this long each week is linked to worse diet and sleep

University students who spend more than ten hours a week playing video games may face higher risks of obesity and poor sleep quality. A new study published in the journal Nutrition suggests that this specific level of gaming is associated with reduced diet quality and a higher body mass index. These results indicate that excessive screen time could be displacing healthy habits during a pivotal period for young adults establishing their independence.

Video gaming is a dominant pastime in modern culture, particularly among young adults attending university. This demographic is currently navigating a transition where parental supervision decreases and academic pressures increase. Previous research has suggested that the immersive nature of gaming might distract players from physiological cues like hunger or fatigue.

The research team, led by Thanaporn Kaewpradup and Mario Siervo, sought to quantify how specific amounts of gaming time relate to physical health markers. Kaewpradup is affiliated with Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and Curtin University in Australia, while Siervo is a professor at the Curtin School of Population Health.

The researchers aimed to understand if the duration of play correlates directly with adverse health outcomes. They hypothesized that time spent gaming might replace health-promoting activities such as physical exercise, meal preparation, and adequate sleep. This concept is often referred to as the displacement hypothesis. Additionally, the team wanted to investigate if the cognitive absorption characterized by gaming leads to mindless eating or the consumption of convenient, energy-dense foods.

To investigate these questions, the team recruited 317 undergraduate students from five universities in Western Australia. The participants completed an online survey that assessed various lifestyle factors. The survey included validated questionnaires to measure diet quality, physical activity levels, perceived stress, and sleep quality. Students also reported their height and weight, which the researchers used to calculate body mass index.

The researchers divided the students into three groups based on their self-reported weekly play time. The “low” group played between zero and five hours per week. The “moderate” group played between six and ten hours. The “high-frequency” group played more than ten hours per week. This categorization allowed the team to look for threshold effects, where health outcomes might change drastically after a certain amount of exposure.

The data revealed a clear distinction for those who exceeded the ten-hour threshold. Students in the high-frequency group had a median body mass index of 26.3. This number falls into the overweight category. In contrast, the low-frequency group had a median body mass index of 22.2, which is considered a healthy weight. The distribution of weight categories was quite different between the groups. While only about 5 percent of low-frequency gamers were classified as obese, that number rose to 24 percent among the high-frequency gamers.

Diet quality also suffered among the most frequent players. The study used a specific scoring system called the Diet Quality Tool to evaluate nutritional intake. This tool looks at the consumption of core food groups like vegetables and fruit as well as discretionary items like sweets. The researchers found that for every additional hour spent gaming, the diet quality score decreased by a small but consistent amount.

Mario Siervo noted the pattern in the data regarding the threshold of ten hours. “What stood out was students gaming up to 10 hours a week all looked very similar in terms of diet, sleep and body weight,” Siervo said. “The real differences emerged in those gaming more than 10 hours a week, who showed clear divergence from the rest of the sample.”

The analysis showed that these dietary associations remained even after the researchers controlled for other variables. They adjusted their statistical models to account for gender, ethnicity, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. Even with these adjustments, the number of hours spent gaming remained an independent predictor of poorer diet.

“Each additional hour of gaming per week was linked to a decline in diet quality, even after accounting for stress, physical activity and other lifestyle factors,” Siervo said. This suggests there may be something specific about the gaming environment or the behaviors it encourages that leads to worse nutritional choices. The researchers noted that gaming environments often feature readily available energy-dense snacks and sugary beverages.

Sleep issues were prevalent across the entire study population. The scoring system used for sleep indicates that a score above five represents poor sleep quality. The median score for low-frequency gamers was 6.0, meaning even those who barely played video games were not sleeping well. However, the severity of sleep disturbance was higher for those who spent the most time gaming. High-frequency gamers had a median score of 7.0.

The study found a correlation between gaming hours and sleep quality impairment. This relationship might be mediated by exposure to blue light from screens, which can suppress melatonin production. Cognitive arousal from the games themselves may also interfere with the ability to fall asleep. The researchers suggested that late-night gaming sessions could delay sleep onset, shortening the overall duration of rest.

The team also examined the types of games played and the platforms used. High-frequency gamers were more likely to use personal computers rather than consoles or mobile devices. They also tended to prefer games with higher levels of violent content. The researchers found a statistical link between the level of violence in preferred games and the total hours played.

Physical activity showed a weak negative correlation with gaming frequency. This provides some preliminary support for the idea that gaming displaces exercise. However, the link was not as strong as the associations with diet and body weight. The researchers speculated that the sedentary nature of gaming, combined with poor diet, creates a positive energy balance that leads to weight gain.

“This study doesn’t prove gaming causes these issues, but it shows a clear pattern that excessive gaming may be linked to an increase in health risk factors,” Siervo said. “Our data suggests low and moderate gaming is generally fine, but excessive gaming may crowd out healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet, sleeping properly and staying active.”

There are several limitations to this study that affect how the results should be interpreted. The design was cross-sectional, meaning it captured a snapshot in time rather than following students over years. Consequently, the data cannot prove that gaming causes poor health. It is plausible that individuals with existing health issues or poorer dietary habits are simply more drawn to sedentary hobbies like gaming.

The study relied on students to report their own behaviors. Self-reported data is subject to recall bias. Participants may underestimate their food intake or overestimate their physical activity. Additionally, the sample was limited to university students in Western Australia. This specific demographic may not represent the general population or students in other parts of the world.

The definition of “high” gaming frequency in this study was more than ten hours per week. This is relatively low compared to the cutoffs often used for diagnosing gaming disorders, which can exceed 30 hours. The study did not assess participants for clinical gaming addiction. It focused strictly on the duration of play rather than psychological dependency.

Future research is needed to establish causal relationships. Longitudinal studies that follow young people as they transition into university could help clarify if gaming leads to weight gain or vice versa. The researchers also suggest that future work should include validated screenings for gaming disorder to distinguish between enthusiastic hobbyists and those with pathological behaviors.

The authors conclude that universities may need to consider these findings when designing wellness programs. “Because university habits often follow people into adulthood, healthier routines such as taking breaks from gaming, avoiding playing games late at night and choosing healthier snacks may help improve their overall wellbeing,” Siervo said.

The study, “Video gaming linked to unhealthy diet, poor sleep quality and lower physical activity levels in Australian University students,” was authored by Thanaporn Kaewpradup, Svetlana Deric, Hannah Velure Uren, Van Hoang Nguyen, Leticia Radin Pereira, Ranil Coorey, Jonathan C.K. Wells, Sirichai Adisakwattana, Blossom C.M. Stephan, and Mario Siervo.