Issue: December 2010
December 01, 2010
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Preschoolers exceed recommended TV viewing limits

Tandon PS. J Pediatr. 2010; doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2010.08.005.

Issue: December 2010
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Preschoolers were exposed to double the recommended limits of television screen time, according to researchers from the Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen time to 1 to 2 hours of quality programming per day for preschool-age children,” the researchers wrote. “TV viewing in young children has been associated with cognitive and speech delays, aggressive behavior, decreased academic performance and obesity.”

Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, a longitudinal, observational study of a sample of 10,700 children born in 2001, were used for the study. The researchers determined the daily screen time using reports from the preschooler’s parents or care providers. Their sample size of 8,950 children represented almost 4 million children.

The children were exposed to an average of 4.1 hours of television screen time daily, and approximately 3.6 of these hours took place at home, rather than in childcare. Children in center-based childcare had the lowest average of television screen time. Children who were in a Head Start program had significantly more home television time than children in other center-based care.

Twelve percent of childcare time was spent watching television vs. 19% of time at home. Overall, 66% of children spent more than the recommended time watching television. Broken down by group, 74% of children in parental care only spent more than the recommended time watching television vs. 87% of children in home-based childcare, 52% of children in center-based childcare and 70% of children in Head Start.

“A statement by the Surgeon General recommends that both parents and childcare programs implement approaches that reflect expert recommendations on physical activity, screen time limitations and good nutrition,” the researchers wrote.

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