Association of PC Use and TV Viewing Hours with Women’s Recreational Physical Activity and Its Impact on Their Obesity Indices

Background: Television (TV) viewing and computer (PC) use have been associated with poor health outcomes. Aim: To investigate the association of TV viewing and PC use with recreational physical activity energy expenditure (RPAEE), obesity indices, physical activity levels (PAL) and body fat percentage (BF%) of adult women. Methods: Bodyweight (BW), height, waist (WC) and hip (HC) circumferences of 150 adult women were measured. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. The BF% was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. The Athens Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess PAL, RPAE, TV viewing and PC hours. Results: The majority of women (53%) were overweight and obese, watched TV for >14 hr/wk (59%), and almost half (47%) of them used computers for >1 hr/day. Slightly more than half of them (54%) had a sedentary lifestyle and reported exercise participation for <2 hr/wk. No walking for leisure was reported by one-third of the subjects, while an alarming low percentage (0.7%) walked only 2.5 hr/wk. No participation in informal physical activity was reported by 69%. RPAEE was estimated at 982 ± 973 kcal/wk and negatively correlated to TV-watching hours (r = –0.31, p < 0.05), computer use (r = –0.3, p < 0.05), BMI (r = –0.44, p < 0.01), BW (r = –0.44, p < 0.01), WC (r = –0.41, p < 0.01), WHR (r = –0.31, p = 0.01). Moreover, RPAEE and BF% were negatively correlated (r = –0.44, p < 0.01). BF% was associated with long hours of PC use and TV watching (R2 = 0.11, F1.148 = 17.94, p = 0.00; R2 = 0.14, F1.148 = 5.4, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Screen use affecting obesity indices seemed to overrun recreational time for physical activity participation and dominate women’s lifestyle. Further research targeting behavioral change practices is recommended. Keywords: obesity, women, physical activity, recreational physical activity expenditure

Assessment of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors among First-Year Medical, Dentistry and Health Sciences Students in Turkey

This cross-sectional study, in which the first-year findings of a prospective followup study were presented, was conducted with 356 students enrolled in the firstyear of three faculties at a state university in Istanbul between November 1st and December 31st, 2019. With this study, it was aimed to evaluate the changes in certain healthy lifestyle behaviors, risky behaviors and depression levels of students enrolled at the different faculties of a public university in Istanbul during their university life. The data were obtained through a questionnaire of 65 questions, and the Beck Depression Inventory, which consisted of 21 questions. They were administered under supervision by providing preliminary information to the students. The mean body mass index, mean systolic blood pressure and mean diastolic blood pressure values of the students were 23.23 + 4.1, 108.97 + 15.21 and 66.98 + 10.08, respectively. The mean daily sleep time was 6.77 + 1.21 hours, the mean TV viewing time was 0.77 + 1.13 hours, and the mean time they spent with a smartphone, tablet or computer was 3.67 + 2.50 hours. Among the students, 37.07% were smokers, 26.12% consumed alcohol, and 4.77% used addictive substances. Of the students, 31.46% considered themselves at risk for depression. At the universities, there is a need for the implementation of health promotion programs focusing on promoting physical activity and healthy nutrition and reducing risky behaviors. In addition, these programs should be strengthened with the trainings on changing behaviors.

Dynamic roles of social presence and individual differences in social TV platforms

These days, many individuals engage in a unique form of TV viewing that includes a simultaneous act of watching television content and talking about it with others in a mediated environment. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as social TV viewing. Responding to the popularity of this form of TV viewing behavior, the present study examines the individual differences of the social TV viewing experience, particularly with regard to different communication platforms (e.g. private vs. public). Based on the data collected from an online survey, primary findings indicate that extroverted and lonely individuals have different social TV viewing experiences such as preferences for a particular type of platforms for social TV viewing. Further, social presence plays an important role in the understanding of social TV enjoyment in private and public platforms.

EARLY INITIATION OF TELEVISION VIEWING: DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN DEVELOPMENTAL FUNCTIONING?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of television (TV) exposure and the home environment on developmental functioning in young children. METHODOLOGY: A total of 230 school-going children (5-9 yrs) studying in a private school in a north Indian city were recruited. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess the number of screens that children had access to, content viewed on TV, daily TV consumption, co-viewing habits, parents' perceptions about the negative and positive effects of TV use. The Mohite home environment inventory assessed the quality of the home environment. The main outcome measure was the child's overall developmental functioning which was measured by the Developmental Prole 3 (DP 3). RESULTS: The majority (77%) of the children watched TV for 1-2 h/day and the prevalence of TV ≥2 h/day was 20%. A little more than one-fth of the parents (21.9%) reported that their child had regularly started to view the TV screen by age 2. Signicant differences were found between the early initiation of TV (24months) group of children and the later initiated group (>24months) on the DP 3 sub-domains and the general developmental quotient (GDQ) (t=2.64, P=.009). Multivariate regression analysis indicated that the number of children in the family, socio-economic status, age at initiation of TV viewing, and home environment explained 14.3% of the variance in the GDQ score (F=10.46, P=.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Early initiation of digital media is associated with poorer developmental outcomes. Pediatricians have a critical role in providing anticipatory guidance to parents regarding inculcating healthy digital screen viewing habits.

Correlates of screen-based behaviors among adults from the 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey

We aimed to investigate correlates of TV viewing and other types of screen-based behaviors in a nationally representative sample of Brazilian adults. In the 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey (including 88,509 adults), TV viewing time and other types of screen behaviors (computer, tablet, and cellphone use) were self-reported and different geographical, sociodemographic, behavioral, and health status factors were investigated as potential correlates. Multinomial logistic regression models were used for the main analyses. Living in capital cities, urban areas, being unemployed, high consumption of soft drinks, obesity, and elevated depressive symptoms were each associated with more TV viewing and more time using other types of screens. There were differential associations between TV viewing and the use of other types of screen across age and socioeconomic variables. For instance, younger adults have a more diverse portfolio of screen time than older adults. To conclude, levels of screen-based behaviors vary by geographical, sociodemographic, behavioral, and health status characteristics. Interventions should focus on high-risk population groups and may benefit from targeting specific sedentary behaviors of interest.

Violence Tendency among Secondary School Students: The Effect of Self-Esteem and Empathic Tendency

Aims: Personal, familial and environmental factors can be effective in tendency to violence. This study was conducted to determine the effects of self-esteem of adolescents and empathic tendency on levels of violence tendency to secondary school students, regardless of socio-demographic characteristics. Study Design: This study is a retrospective record study. Place and Duration of Study: Secondary schools in the city center of Yozgat in the 2017-2018 academic years. Methodology: In the study, the data in the records of secondary school students (n=987, boys 503, girls 484; grade range 5-8) which were collected using the scales were used. The data were analysed by correlation, independent t-test, Anova and linear regression (LR). Results: The mean violence tendency, self-esteem, and empathic tendency scales’ scores of the students were 33.4, 69.0 and 2.4, respectively. According to the multivariate analysis, low empathic tendency, family perception of low performance, disliking school, increased TV viewing time, low self-esteem, increased age, being exposed to violence at home and not preparing for high school entrance exam were found to be statistically significant as the factors affecting the tendency to violence in order of priorities. Conclusion: Early adolescents have a moderate level of tendency to violence. Moreover, low self-esteem, low empathic tendency, individual characteristics and parental attitudes are associated with tendency to violence.

Towards a theory of well-being in digital sports viewing behavior

Purpose Social television (Social TV) viewing of live sports events is an emerging trend. The realm of transformative service research (TSR) envisions that every service consumption experience must lead to consumer well-being. Currently, a full appreciation of the well-being factors obtained through Social TV viewing is lacking. This study aims to gain a holistic understanding of the concept of digital sports well-being obtained through live Social TV viewing of sports events. Design/methodology/approach Focus group interviews were used to collect data from the 40 regular sports viewers, and the qualitative data obtained is analyzed thematically using NVivo 12. A post hoc verification of the identified themes is done to narrow down the most critical themes. Findings The exploration helped understand the concept of digital sports well-being (DSW) obtained through live Social TV sports spectating and identified five critical themes that constitute its formation. The themes that emerged were virtual connectedness, vividness, uncertainty reduction, online disinhibition and perceived autonomy. This study defines the concept and develops a conceptual model for DSW. Research limitations/implications This study adds to the body of knowledge in TSR, transformative sport service research, digital customer engagement, value co-creation in digital platforms, self-determination theory and flow theory. The qualitative study is exploratory, with participants’ views based on a single match in one particular sport, and as such, its findings are restrained by the small sample size and the specific sport. To extend this study’s implications, empirical research involving a larger and more diversified sample involving multiple sports Social TV viewing experiences would help better understand the DSW concept. Practical implications The research provides insights to Social TV live streamers of sporting events and digital media marketers about the DSW construct and identifies the valued DSW dimensions that could provide a competitive advantage. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the exploration is the first attempt to describe the concept of DSW and identify associated themes.

The Relation Between Television Viewing Time and Reading Achievement in Elementary School Children: A Test of Substitution and Inhibition Hypotheses

Research has focused on the relations between television (TV) viewing time and children’s reading achievement. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain this relation. The substitution hypothesis proposes that TV viewing distracts students from activities that are important for their learning. The inhibition hypothesis proposes that watching television inhibits important affective/cognitive skills. In this study, we test both hypotheses by estimating the relation between TV viewing time and reading achievement. We use the frequency of students’ leisure reading and the frequency of interactions between students and their parents as potential mediators to test the substitution hypothesis, whereas for the inhibition one, we use students’ intrinsic motivation to read and their level of inattention. Data come from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD). Designed by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, QLSCD covers a wide range of themes. The QLSCD is representative of children in Québec and contains 2223 participants who were followed from 0 to 21 years old. The four structural models tested are built as follows: the TV viewing time at 6 years old predicts the four mediating variables at 8 years old, which in turn predicts reading achievement at 10 years old. In addition, we have tested models’ gender invariance. Results indicate that TV viewing time is not directly or indirectly associated with reading achievement. Specifically, it is not associated with the mediating variables of child-parent interactions, intrinsic motivation, and inattention. However, the frequency of leisure reading is negatively associated with the time spent watching TV. This association is very small (−0.07) and has no indirect effect on reading achievement. Finally, results do not vary according to the gender of the participants. Our results are in line with those of previous studies in the field and cast some doubts on the potential negative effects of TV viewing time on reading achievement.