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TVs in the bedrooms of children: does it impact health and behavior?

Susan B Sisson1, Stephanie T Broyles, Robert L Newton

  • 1Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1215, USA. susan-sisson@ouhsc.edu

Preventive Medicine
|December 7, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Having a TV in the bedroom (BTV) is common in children and linked to poorer social behaviors and health outcomes, even after accounting for total screen time.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Sociology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • A TV in the bedroom (BTV) is prevalent among children.
  • Previous research has focused on total TV viewing time, but the impact of BTV itself is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify socio-demographic factors associated with BTV in children.
  • To investigate the relationship between BTV and social/behavioral outcomes, independent of total viewing time.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from the 2007 US National Survey of Children's Health (n=48,687).
  • Logistic regression was used to examine associations between BTV and various demographic, social, and behavioral variables.
  • Models were adjusted for total daily TV viewing time.

Main Results:

  • Nearly half (49.3%) of American children had a TV in their bedroom.
  • Higher odds of BTV were associated with older age, Black and Hispanic ethnicity, poverty, non-traditional family structures, and certain US regions.
  • BTV was linked to increased problematic social behaviors, overweight status, and decreased family meals, school engagement, extracurricular activities, adequate sleep, and community service.

Conclusions:

  • TV in the bedroom (BTV) is associated with a wider range of negative social and behavioral outcomes than previously recognized.
  • These associations persist even when controlling for overall TV viewing duration, highlighting BTV as an independent risk factor.
Abstract

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