Abstract
Understanding parents’ perceptions of their young children’s viewing behaviors and environments is critical to the development
of effective television reduction interventions. To explore parents’ attitudes, perceptions, and experiences regarding their
children’s television viewing and the use of televisions in their children’s bedrooms, we conducted focus groups with 74 racial/ethnic
minority parents of children aged birth to 5 years. We analyzed transcripts of the focus group discussions using immersion-crystallization.
Over 50 % of parents reported that their children watch more than 2 h of television per day and 64 % reported that their children
have a television in their bedrooms. In general, parents were unconcerned about the amount of television their children watched.
However, parents did express concern about the content of their children’s viewing. Discussion of potential harmful effects
of television viewing focused mainly on the impact television viewing may have on children’s behavior and academic outcomes
and only rarely on a concern about weight. Most parents were unaware of adverse consequences associated with children having
a television in their bedroom and many reported that having a television in their child’s bedroom helped keep their child
occupied. To effectively engage parents of young children, television reduction interventions should include messages that
address parents’ key concerns regarding their children’s viewing and should provide parents with alternative activities to
keep children occupied.
of effective television reduction interventions. To explore parents’ attitudes, perceptions, and experiences regarding their
children’s television viewing and the use of televisions in their children’s bedrooms, we conducted focus groups with 74 racial/ethnic
minority parents of children aged birth to 5 years. We analyzed transcripts of the focus group discussions using immersion-crystallization.
Over 50 % of parents reported that their children watch more than 2 h of television per day and 64 % reported that their children
have a television in their bedrooms. In general, parents were unconcerned about the amount of television their children watched.
However, parents did express concern about the content of their children’s viewing. Discussion of potential harmful effects
of television viewing focused mainly on the impact television viewing may have on children’s behavior and academic outcomes
and only rarely on a concern about weight. Most parents were unaware of adverse consequences associated with children having
a television in their bedroom and many reported that having a television in their child’s bedroom helped keep their child
occupied. To effectively engage parents of young children, television reduction interventions should include messages that
address parents’ key concerns regarding their children’s viewing and should provide parents with alternative activities to
keep children occupied.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-8
- DOI 10.1007/s10826-012-9629-6
- Authors
- Jess Haines, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
- Ashley O’Brien, Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA, USA
- Julia McDonald, Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA, USA
- Roberta E. Goldman, Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Marie Evans-Schmidt, Center for Media and Child Health, Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA
- Sarah Price, Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA, USA
- Stacy King, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Bettylou Sherry, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Elsie M. Taveras, Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA, USA
- Journal Journal of Child and Family Studies
- Online ISSN 1573-2843
- Print ISSN 1062-1024