The Family Context of Low-Income Parents Who Restrict Child Screen Time

Abstract

Background: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents restrict child screen time to two hours per day, but many preschool-aged children exceed this viewing recommendation. Modifying children's viewing habits will require collaborating with parents, but little is known about the factors that influence parents' capacity for effective screen-related parenting. This study aimed to identify the demographic, family and community contextual factors associated with low-income parents' restriction of child screen time.Methods: Parents (N = 146) of children (age 2-5 years) attending Head Start centers in the United States completed a self-report survey in 2010 assessing parent and child screen use (television, DVD, video, video games, and leisure-time computer use), parent restriction of child screen time, and family (parent stress, social support, and life pressures) and community (neighborhood safety and social capital) factors.Results: Children were more likely to meet the American Academy of Pediatrics screen time recommendation if their parent reported high restriction of child screen time. Parent and child demographic characteristics were not associated with parents' restriction of child screen time. In multivariate analysis, less parent screen time, fewer parent life pressures, and greater social support were associated with parents' high restriction of screen time.Conclusion: Family contextual factors may play an important role in enabling low-income parents to restrict their children's screen time. When counseling low-income parents about the importance of restricting child screen time, practitioners should be sensitive to family contextual factors that may influence parents' capacity to implement this behavior change.

“If You Let Them, They Will Be on It 24 Hours a Day”: Qualitative Study Conducted in the United States Exploring Brazilian Immigrant Mothers’ Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Screen Time Behaviors of Their Preschool-Age Children (Preprint)

“…To date there is a paucity of information available on how minority and immigrant parents perceive and manage their preschool-age children's ST [8,26,27,28,31]. In addition, to our knowledge, no studies have focused on ST of preschool-age children of Brazilian immigrant families living in the US.…”

“…Interventions designed to promote adequate ST in early childhood may have health benefits during childhood, but also help reduce chronic disease risks when adequate ST behaviors are carried into adulthood [29][30][31].…”

“…Many habits children form during early childhood are established in the home, an important early social environment where children develop habits that impact their weight status and health [30][31][32][33]. Previous research suggests that parents play a unique and central role in establishing a home environment that promotes or hinders children developing healthy habits including ST [34,35].…”

Parental Influences on Adolescent Video Game Play: A Study of Accessibility, Rules, Limit Setting, Monitoring, and Cybersafety

“…The present study was unable to determine reasons behind this discrepancy. Thus, further investigations should identify crucial barriers to parental media limit setting (e.g., social support 46 ).…”

Social Support May Buffer the Effect of Intrafamilial Stressors on Preschool Children's Television Viewing Time in Low-Income Families

“…The Family Ecological Model (FEM), 14 derived from Bronfenbrenner's ecological models, 15 and Family Systems Theory [16][17][18] posit that, in addition to contextual factors, intrafamilial factors, such as family functioning and parents' perceived stress and depression, affect parenting practices and, in turn, child outcomes. 14,19 Consistent with these expectations, mothers' perceived stress and depression have been linked with lower restriction of child TV viewing 20 and greater minutes of child viewing time. 12,21 Although it has been acknowledged that TV viewing may serve as a coping mechanism in families experiencing significant stress and disruption, 16 much less is known about factors that may mitigate or buffer the negative effects of intrafamilial stressors on child TV viewing.…”