Cross-sectional associations between the screen-time of parents and young children: differences by parent and child gender and day of the week

BACKGROUND Globally, there is an increasing prevalence of excessive screen time exposure among young children, including Malaysia. Parents are advised to limit this exposure but there are barriers for many of them to follow this recommendation. To date, there is a lack of studies on the factors that cause these parental barriers. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the parental barrier towards the reduction of excessive child’s screen time and its predictors among parents of children under five years old in Petaling District, Selangor. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2019 to June 2020 among 789 parent-child dyads attending child health clinics in Petaling District, Selangor. Validated self-administered questionnaires were used to capture information on sociodemographic factors, parental influences, child-related factors, environmental factors, and parental barriers. Stratified sampling with probability proportionate to size was employed. Data were analysed with IBM SPSS version 25. Descriptive analysis and bivariate analysis were performed before multiple linear regression was used to identify the predictors of parental barriers. RESULTS The overall mean score of parental barriers was 3.51 ± 0.83, indicating that the average numbers of barriers experienced by parents were more than three. The multivariate analysis showed that the predictors of parental barriers included monthly household income (adjusted β: -0.031, 95% CI: -0.048 to -0.015), parents who worked in public sectors (adjusted β: 0.178, 95% CI: 0.063 to 0.292), positive parental attitude on screens (adjusted β: 0.684, 95% CI: 0.576 to 0.793), parents’ low self-efficacy to influence child’s physical activity (adjusted β: -0.318, 95% CI: -0.432 to -0.204), and child’s screen time (adjusted β: 0.042, 95% CI: 0.024 to 0.061). CONCLUSIONS The strongest predictor of the parental barriers to reduce excessive child’s screen time was the positive parental attitude on screen time. Thus, future intervention strategies should aim to foster correct parental attitudes towards screen time activities among young children.

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Role of parents on screen time of young children in Pokhara metropolitan, Nepal- a cross sectional study

Journal of Gandaki Medical College-Nepal ◽

10.3126/jgmcn.v14i1.34766 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 8-13

Author(s):

Sharad Koirala ◽

Sanju Banstola ◽

Nirmala Shrestha ◽

Nisha Gurung ◽

Saurabh Kishor Sah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Screen Time ◽

Sedentary Lifestyle ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Chi Square ◽

Parental Occupation ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Role Of Parents

Background: Sedentary lifestyle is a major modifiable risk factor that usually starts from childhood. High screen time is associated with sedentary lifestyle in children; and parents might have played a role in screen time among the children. This study aims to assess the role of parents in the screen time of young children aged five to nine years in Pokhara metropolitan city in Nepal. Methods: A cross sectional study was done among 360 children where respondents were one of the parents of those children. Face to face interview was done using a semi structured questionnaire between March 8 and September 4, 2020. A daily screen time <2 hours was taken as a normal value. Descriptive and inferential analyses were done with the data. Chi square test at 5% level of significance was computed for the inferential analysis. The ethical approval was taken from the Nepal Health Research Council. Results: Of the total 360 children, 54.7% were male and 35.6% were aged 9 years. Screen time >2 hours was found among 48.6% children. The screen time of >2 hours children was significantly associated with the educational qualification of parents, parental worry and parental permission to watch the screen for tasks like eating, doing homework, not going out or making free time for parents. The screen time of children was not associated with socioeconomic characteristics like parental occupation. Conclusion: Parental characteristics have role in the screen time of children. Parental factors must also be considered while implementing programs to reduce children’s screen time.

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Assessment Of Dry Eye Symptoms And Quality Of Sleep In Engineering Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic

International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.26452/ijrps.v11ispl1.3593 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽

pp. 1202-1207

Author(s):

Pavithra S ◽

Dheepak Sundar M

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Dry Eye ◽

Screen Time ◽

Engineering Students ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Quality Of Sleep ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Eye Symptoms ◽

Dry Eye Symptoms

To assess dry eye symptoms (DES) and quality of sleep in engineering students during the Covid19 pandemic lockdown and also to assess the association between DES and sleep quality. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out among 396 engineering students studying in Saveetha engineering college. The study tool used was a semi-structured google form questionnaire designed for assessing digital device usage, symptoms of dry eye disease and sleep pattern. Responses were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Overall 64.1% attained a score of more than 10, indicating the presence of DES. 70.2% of the study population used digital screens for more than 13 hours. A statistically significant association was found between increased screen time and presence of DES(p<0.05). 64.9% had a score of >18 indicating reduced sleep quality. About 77.1% of the students with DES had reduced sleep quality, and a significant association (p<0.01) was observed between the two. During the Covid19 pandemic lockdown, there appears to be rising prevalence of DES in student population, one of the reasons being increased screen time. The sleep quality was also found to be reduced, and a significant association was found between DES and sleep quality.

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Determinants of Screen Time Among Children Under Five Years: A Cross Sectional Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.23506 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Diana Raj ◽

Norliza Ahmad ◽

Nor Afiah Mohd. Zulkefli ◽

Zalilah Mohd Shariff

Keyword(s):

Screen Time ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Children Under Five ◽

Under Five ◽

Health Clinics ◽

Age Appropriate ◽

Cross Sectional Design ◽

Time Future

BACKGROUND Excessive screen time is detrimental to the child’s health. However, screen time situation among Malaysian children is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify the prevalence and determinants of screen time among children under five years old using the latest WHO guidelines. METHODS A cross sectional design was used to randomly select 489 children from nine government health clinics. Total screen time and factors were assessed using validated self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS Results show an overall prevalence of 91.4% with a median of 3.00 hours (IQR: 1.36-5.04). Majority of children watched television (66%), followed by mobile phones (30%) and computers (4%). The determinants of screen time were Malay ethnicity, (AOR 3.56, 95% CI: 1.65-7.68), parental age of 30 years or more (AOR 3.12, 95% CI: 1.58-6.16), parental screen time exceeding 2 hours a day (AOR 2.42, 95% CI: 1.24-4.73), parent’s moderate self-efficacy to influence child’s physical activity (AOR 2.29, 95% CI: 1.01-5.20) and parent’s positive perception on influence of screen time on child’s cognitive well-being (AOR 1.15, 95% CI:1.01-1.32). CONCLUSIONS Parents played an important role in determining their child’s screen time. Future interventions that focus on the parents may ensure age appropriate screen time for their children.

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Effective Parental intervention strategies to reduce screen time among preschool-aged children: A systematic review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.25774 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Diana Raj ◽

Halimatus Sakdiah Minhat ◽

Nor Afiah Mohd. Zulkefli ◽

Norliza Ahmad

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Young Children ◽

Screen Time ◽

Mode Of Delivery ◽

Intervention Strategies ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Parental Intervention

BACKGROUND The increasing screen time exposure among young children in general and the reported negative consequences associated with excessive ST, calls for focused strategies to reduce ST, especially among young children. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aimed to identify effective parental intervention strategies to reduce ST among preschool children. METHODS A total of five databases, namely Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, Medline Complete, PubMed, and Scopus, were searched for randomised controlled trials that involved intervention strategies in ST reduction among preschool children. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines were used. RESULTS A total of nine studies were assessed. The results showed that besides providing knowledge and awareness regarding ST, having restrictive practices, offering alternative activities to parents, and removal of screen from child’s bedroom were the most common strategies used by studies that reported successful intervention. Intervention duration of between six to eight weeks was sufficient to produce ST reduction. Face-to-face method was the commonest mode of delivery. Theoretical constructs that aimed at increasing parental self-efficacy, listing outcome expectations, and offering reinforcement of strategies that targeted both the parents and home environment were beneficial in reducing ST. CONCLUSIONS By offering appropriate strategies to parents, a reduction in the amount of ST was observed among the children. Future intervention studies could benefit in exploring culturally adapted strategies, especially in developing countries. Trials of higher quality would also facilitate the drawing of conclusions in future research. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO No: CRD42020199398

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Optimal Household Water Access Fosters the Attainment of Minimum Dietary Diversity among Children Aged 6–23 Months in Malawi

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13010178 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 178

Author(s):

Zizwani Brian Chilinda ◽

Mark L. Wahlqvist ◽

Meei-Shyuan Lee ◽

Yi-Chen Huang

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

World Health ◽

Food Groups ◽

Water Access ◽

Direct Role ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Child Undernutrition ◽

Health Organization ◽

Minimum Dietary Diversity

Along with sanitation and hygiene, water is a well-known driver of child undernutrition. However, a more direct role of household (HH) water access in shaping dietary diversity remains unexplored. We assessed the association between HH water access and achievement of minimum dietary diversity (MDD) among young children. We utilized nationally-representative cross-sectional data from the 2015/16 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, which included 4727 mother–child dyads, respectively, (26.8 ± 6.8 years, range 15–49 years) and (13.9 ± 4.9 months, range 6–23 months). HH water access was categorized as (1) basic or no access, (2) intermediate, or (3) optimal. MDD was defined as feeding a child, during the previous day, at least four of the food groups defined by the World Health Organization. Only 27.7% of the children achieved MDD standards; most of the children who achieved MDD were from HHs with optimal water access (58.4%, p < 0.001). However, only 5.9% of the mother–child dyads were from HHs with optimal water access. After adjusting for covariates, children from HHs with optimal water access had higher odds of achieving MDD than those from HHs with basic or no water access (aOR = 1.74, CI = 1.24–2.46). Our results highlight the need to incorporate water-based strategies into national nutritional policies to increase dietary diversity among Malawian infants and young children.

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Recreational Screen Time and Anxiety among College Athletes: Findings from Shanghai

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147470 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7470

Author(s):

Yu Gao ◽

Ning Fu ◽

Yuping Mao ◽

Lu Shi

Keyword(s):

College Student ◽

Screen Time ◽

Student Athletes ◽

College Athletes ◽

Team Sports ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Risk Indicator ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychometric Scales ◽

College Student Athletes

To better understand the behavioral factors contributing to the mental health status among student athletes, we examined the link between recreational screen time and college student athlete’s anxieties. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 278 college student athletes from Shanghai, China, aged between 17 and 25 years old (M = 19.4, SD = 1.5). Multivariate regression analyses, controlled for age, gender, rural vs. urban residency, and individual vs. team sports factors, were performed to analyze the association between their average daily recreational screen time in a week and their dispositional anxiety, pre-competition anxiety, and anxiety during competition, which were measured by the Chinese version of validated psychometric scales among athlete population. Significant results were found in both dispositional anxiety and situational anxiety in relation to recreational screen time among college athletes. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that excessive recreational screen time is a risk indicator of college student athletes’ dispositional anxiety, pre-competition anxiety, and anxiety during competition.

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Are Homemade and Commercial Infant Foods Different? A Nutritional Profile and Food Variety Analysis in Spain

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13030777 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 777

Author(s):

Maria Jose Bernal ◽

Sergio Roman ◽

Michelle Klerks ◽

Juan Francisco Haro-Vicente ◽

Luis Manuel Sanchez-Siles

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Later Life ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Food Diary ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Developmental Needs ◽

Infant Foods ◽

Nutritional Profile ◽

Yellow Orange ◽

Food Variety

Complementary feeding (CF) is an important determinant of early and later life nutrition with great implications for the health status and the development of an adequate growth. Parents can choose between homemade foods (HMFs) and/or commercial infant foods (CIFs). There is no consistent evidence as to whether HMFs provide a better nutritional profile and variety over CIFs. The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional profiles and food variety of HMFs versus CIFs in the Spanish market targeted for infants (6–11 months) and young children (12–18 months). Thirty mothers with their children aged 6 to 18 months were included in this cross-sectional study, following a 3-day weighed food diary of which HMFs were collected and chemically analyzed. HMFs meals for infant provided significantly lower energy, higher protein and higher fiber, for young children provided significantly higher protein and fiber than CIFs meals. HMFs fruit purees for infant shown significantly higher fiber and for young children provided higher energy than CIFs. HMFs meals contained a significantly greater number of different vegetables than CIFs meals (3.7 vs. 3.3), with carrot as the most frequently used in both. However, in CIFs fruit purees shown higher different fruits than HMFs, in both the banana was the fruit most frequently used. There was a predominance of meat and lack of oily fish and legumes in both HMFs and CIFs meals. HMFs and CIFs were equally characterized by a soft texture and yellow-orange colours. Importantly, our findings emphasize the need for clear guidelines for the preparation of HMFs as well as the promotion of food variety (taste and textures) in both HMFs and CIFs to suit infants’ and young children’s nutritional and developmental needs.

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Prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in infants and young children in China

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-021-02610-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ying Huang ◽

Serene Yaling Tan ◽

Panam Parikh ◽

Vanitha Buthmanaban ◽

Shaman Rajindrajith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Maternal Education ◽

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽

Functional Constipation ◽

Gastrointestinal Disorders ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Validated Questionnaire ◽

Rome Iv ◽

Infants And Young Children

Abstract Background The prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in children, particularly from Asia, is largely unknown. There are not many studies done in Asia especially using the Rome IV criteria. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of FGIDs in infants and young children in a representative sample in China. Methods A prospective, cross-sectional, community-based survey was conducted among healthy infants and young children between the ages of 0–4 years in Jinhua and Shanghai, China. A total of 2604 subjects (1300 subjects from Jinhua and 1304 subjects from Shanghai) completed a validated questionnaire on pediatric gastrointestinal symptoms. FGIDs in infants and young children were diagnosed using the Rome IV criteria. Results According to the Rome IV criteria, the prevalence of having a FGID in Chinese infants and young children is 27.3%. Infant regurgitation (33.9%) was the most common FGID among the 0–6 months old while functional constipation (7.0%) was the most common among the 1–4 years old. Risk factor analysis revealed that prevalence of infantile colic was higher with better maternal education and low birth weight. Prevalence of infantile regurgitation was significantly greater in males, living in a rural area, being exclusively breast fed at least up to 4 months and starting formula feeds within the first month. The risk of functional constipation was lower for infants who were delivered vaginally. Conclusions Infantile regurgitation was the most common FGID in Chinese infants while functional constipation was most prevalent among young Chinese children. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Registry Identifier: NL6973/NTR7161.

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