Skip to content
Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter September 25, 2020

An initiative to limit screen-time in children aged between 6 and 18 years in an urban area in Puducherry: a qualitative study

  • Sathish Rajaa ORCID logo , Tanveer Rehman ORCID logo , Gayathri Surendran , Sudheera Sulgante and Mahalakshmy Thulasingam EMAIL logo

Abstract

Background

Recently television viewing and use of computers have increased considerably and has become a necessary evil in the society. The amount of Screen Time (ST) exposure of a child largely depends on the views of their parents. Screen time among adolescents have resulted in multiple problems

Objective

To explore the perceptions of parents of children aged 6–10 years and adolescents of 11–18 years residing in an area of urban Puducherry regarding screen-time and develop health education material to decrease ST.

Materials and methods

A community‐based, Qualitative study was conducted during April 2018 in Urban Puducherry. Two FGDs among the adolescents t and one FGD among the mothers of 6–10 years old children to capture their perceptions on ST

Results and conclusion

The three FGD included 30 participants. The main categories that evolved among the adolescents were Benefits, barriers and influencing factors of ST and ways to reduce them. Mothers expressed their concerns regarding screen time and efforts taken to reduce it. Our study showed that curtailing ST is possible by friendly parenting.


Corresponding author: Mahalakshmy Thulasingam, Associate Professor, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry 605006, India, Phone: +91 9488729774, E-mail:

  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

References

1. Xu, H, Wen, LM, Rissel, C. Associations of parental influences with physical activity and screen time among young children: a systematic review. J Obes 2015;2015:1–23. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/546925.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

2. Mark, AE, Janssen, I. Relationship between screen time and metabolic syndrome in adolescents. J Public Health 2008;30:153–60. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdn022.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

3. Wahi, G. Effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing screen time in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2011;165:979. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.122.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

4. Paediatric Society Canadian, Digital Health Task Force, Ottawa Ontario, Ponti, M, Bélanger, S, Grimes, R, Heard, J, Johnson, M, et al. Screen time and young children: promoting health and development in a digital world. Paediatr Child Health 2017;22:461–8, https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxx12.Search in Google Scholar

5. Tremblay, MS, LeBlanc, AG, Janssen, I, Kho, ME, Hicks, A, Murumets, K, et al. Canadian sedentary behaviour guidelines for children and youth. Appl Physiol Nutr Metabol 2011;36:59–64. https://doi.org/10.1139/h11-012.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

6. Council on Communications and Media. Media violence. Pediatrics 2009;124:1495–503, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-2146.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

7. Wolf, C, Wolf, S, Weiss, M, Nino, G. Children’s environmental health in the digital era: understanding early screen exposure as a preventable risk factor for obesity and sleep disorders. Children 2018;5:31. https://doi.org/10.3390/children5020031.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

8. Zimmerman, FJ, Christakis, DA, Meltzoff, AN. Associations between media viewing and language development in children under age 2 years. J Pediatr 2007;151:364–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2007.04.071.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

9. Byeon, H, Hong, S. Relationship between Television Viewing and Language Delay in Toddlers: Evidence from a Korea National Cross-Sectional Survey. PLoS ONE 2015;10. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4365020/ [Internet] 2015 [cited 2018 Nov 4]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120663.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

10. Grøntved, A, Ried-Larsen, M, Møller, NC, Kristensen, PL, Wedderkopp, N, Froberg, K, et al. Youth screen-time behaviour is associated with cardiovascular risk in young adulthood: the European Youth Heart Study. Eur J Prev Cardiol 2014;21:49–56, https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487312454760. [Epub 5 Jul 2012].Search in Google Scholar PubMed

11. Jago, R, Thompson, JL, Sebire, SJ, Wood, L, Pool, L, Zahra, J, et al. Cross-sectional associations between the screen-time of parents and young children: differences by parent and child gender and day of the week. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Activ 2014;11:54. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-11-54.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

12. Carson, V, Pickett, W, Janssen, I. Screen time and risk behaviors in 10- to 16-year-old Canadian youth. Prev Med 2011;52:99–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.07.005.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

13. Carlson, SA, Fulton, JE, Lee, SM, Foley, JT, Heitzler, C, Huhman, M. Influence of limit-setting and participation in physical activity on youth screen time. Pediatrics 2010;126:e89–96. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-3374.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

14. Bentley, GF, Turner, KM, Jago, R. Mothers’ views of their preschool child’s screen-viewing behaviour: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2016;16. Available from: http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3440-z [cited 2018 Nov 6]; [Internet]. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3440-z.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

15. Lauricella, AR, Wartella, E, Rideout, VJ. Young children’s screen time: the complex role of parent and child factors. J Appl Dev Psychol 2015;36:11–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2014.12.001.Search in Google Scholar

16. Berge, JM, Wall, M, Loth, K, Neumark-Sztainer, D. Parenting style as a predictor of adolescent weight and weight-related behaviors. J Adolesc Health Off Publ Soc Adolesc Med 2010;46:331–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.08.004.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

17. Garcia, JM, Agaronov, A, Sirard, JR, Whaley, D, Rice, DJ, Weltman, A. Psychosocial and friend influences on objective sedentary behavior and screen time: a mixed methods analysis. J Phys Activ Health 2017;14:213–21. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2016-0035.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

18. Minges, KE, Owen, N, Salmon, J, Chao, A, Dunstan, DW, Whittemore, R. Reducing youth screen time: qualitative metasynthesis of findings on barriers and facilitators. Health Psychol 2015;34:381–97. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000172.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

19. Hinkley, T, McCann, JR. Mothers’ and father’s perceptions of the risks and benefits of screen time and physical activity during early childhood: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2018;18. Available from: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-018-6199-6 [Internet] [cited 2019 May 15]. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6199-6.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

20. Sandercock, G, Angus, C, Barton, J. Physical activity levels of children living in different built environments. Prev Med 2010;50:193–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.01.005.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

21. Distefan, JM, Pierce, JP, Gilpin, EA. Do favorite movie stars influence adolescent smoking initiation?. Am J Publ Health 2004;94:1239–44. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.94.7.1239.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

22. Dixon, H, Scully, M, Niven, P, Kelly, B, Chapman, K, Donovan, R, et al. Effects of nutrient content claims, sports celebrity endorsements and premium offers on pre-adolescent children’s food preferences: experimental research. Pediatr Obes 2014;9:e47–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2013.00169.x.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

23. AAP.org. American Academy of Pediatrics announces new recommendations for children’s media use [internet]. Available from: http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Announces-New-Recommendations-for-Childrens-Media-Use.aspx [cited 2019 May 15].Search in Google Scholar

24. Organization WH. Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age [Internet]. World Health Organization; 2019. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/311664 [cited 2019 May 15].Search in Google Scholar

25. Akçay, D, Akçay, BD. The influence of media on the sleep quality in adolescents. Turk J Pediatr 2018;60:255–63. https://doi.org/10.24953/turkjped.2018.03.004.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

26. Ramirez, ER, Norman, GJ, Rosenberg, DE, Jacqueline, K, Saelens, BE, Durant, N, et al. Adolescent screen time and rules to limit screen time in the home. J Adolesc Health Off Publ Soc Adolesc Med 2011;48:379–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.07.013.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

Received: 2020-04-25
Accepted: 2020-07-09
Published Online: 2020-09-25

© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Downloaded on 28.3.2024 from https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijamh-2020-0087/html
Scroll to top button