Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Abstract
Introduction: Television (TV) viewing by children may be linked to a range of adverse health
and behavioral outcomes. This study was aimed at examining the relationship between
socioeconomic factors of families and TV watching behavior among 3–5 years old children
in Ardakan, Yazd, Iran. Materials and Methods: In the cross‑sectional study, mothers of 188
children (93 boys and 95 girls) between 3 and 5 years old completed a researcher‑designed
questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using SPSS, using bivariate correlations and t‑test for
independent samples. Results: The mean of TV viewing was 2.68 ± 1.6 h daily, ranging from
0 to 9 h. There were no statistically significant gender differences on the basis of daily TV
watching. There were positive associations between the children’s daily TV watching and age
as well as children’s daily TV watching and their mothers’ time spent on watching TV. Children
who lived in houses with the yard and could use it as a playground watched less TV than did
the children who lived in houses without the yard. Conclusion: The results suggest that health
care professionals should be aware of the association between different socioeconomic status
aspects of families, such as the children’s and mothers’ time spent on watching TV and having
a yard in the house in an attempt to develop effective strategies and interventions to prevent
excess TV watching.
Keywords
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