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Media monitoring by mothers may help prevent childhood obesity
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Lower BMI is associated with maternal monitoring of the time children spend watching television or playing video games, according to recent study findings published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Paulina Nowicka, PhD, of the pediatrics unit in the department of clinical science, intervention and technology at Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and colleagues evaluated 112 mothers, 103 fathers and their 213 children aged 5, 7 or 9 years from June 1998 to September 2012 to determine influence of parental monitoring of media exposure and children’s general activities on BMI in middle childhood. Overall, 121 children had complete parental BMI scores. Sixty-nine children had two overweight or obese parents compared with 40 children with one overweight or obese parent, and 12 with no overweight or obese parents. Of 92 children with one complete parental BMI score, 55 of the mothers or fathers were overweight or obese.
Similar mean levels of direct monitoring were reported by both mothers and fathers, although there was more indirect and media monitoring among mothers compared with fathers.
Children reportedly spent 1.74 hours per day watching television or playing video games; nearly 20% reportedly spent more than the AAP’s recommended 2 hours per day watching television or playing video games.
Higher BMI z scores were found among children aged 7 years whose mothers spent less time monitoring media, and the scores increased steeply from age 5 to 7 years. Children aged 7 years with two overweight or obese parents were more affected by parental BMI.
Decreases in children’s BMI z scores were associated with an increase in children’s activities.
“The current study examined the influences that parents’ behaviors may have on children’s weight across middle childhood,” the researchers wrote. “Our results suggest that interventions aimed at parental supervision and control of child media exposure may promote healthy child weight development during middle childhood.”
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of disclosures.
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