Abstract
The family plays a central role in the development of health-related behaviors among youth. The objective of this study was to determine whether non-traditional parental structure and shared custody arrangements predict how much time youth spend watching television, using a computer recreationally, and playing video games. Participants were a nationally representative sample of Canadian youth (N = 26,068) in grades 6–10 who participated in the 2009/10 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey. Screen time in youth from single parent and reconstituted families, with or without regular visitation with their non-residential parent, was compared to that of youth from traditional dual-parent families. Multiple imputation was used to account for missing data. After multiple imputation, the relative odds of being in the highest television, computer use, video game, and total screen time quartiles were not different in boys and girls from non-traditional families by comparison to boys and girls from traditional dual-parent families. In conclusion, parental structure and child custody arrangements did not have a meaningful impact on screen time among youth.
Highlights
Sedentary activities, including screen time behaviors such as watching television, using a computer and playing video games, have become ubiquitous in the lives of most young people
In Canada, fewer than 1 in 5 youth aged 10–16 meet the public health recommendation to limit their total recreational screen time to 2 h or less per day (Freeman, King & Pickett, 2012). This is concerning given the findings of a recent systematic review which concluded that excessive screen time in youth is independently associated with several physical, mental, and social health problems such as obesity, the metabolic syndrome, decreased academic achievement, and engagement in antisocial behaviors (Tremblay et al, 2011b)
Understanding the determinants of youths’ screen time is a public health priority. One such determinant of youth screen time may be family structure, which is associated with a wide range of behavioral, developmental, and health-related outcomes (Bramlett & Blumberg, 2007; Jablonska & Lindberg, 2007)
Summary
Sedentary activities, including screen time behaviors such as watching television, using a computer and playing video games, have become ubiquitous in the lives of most young people. In Canada, fewer than 1 in 5 youth aged 10–16 meet the public health recommendation to limit their total recreational screen time to 2 h or less per day (Freeman, King & Pickett, 2012). This is concerning given the findings of a recent systematic review which concluded that excessive screen time in youth is independently associated with several physical, mental, and social health problems such as obesity, the metabolic syndrome, decreased academic achievement, and engagement in antisocial behaviors (Tremblay et al, 2011b).
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