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Protective eyewear use as depicted in children's television programs
Michael E Korchak1, Robert U Glazier, Rebecca S Slack
1Department of Ophthalmology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
|December 28, 2012
Summary
Protective eyewear use is rarely shown in children's TV shows, even during activities with eye-risk. Eye injuries are also infrequently depicted, missing opportunities to promote safety awareness.
Area of Science:
- Media Studies
- Public Health
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Children's television programs are a significant influence on young viewers.
- Promoting safety behaviors, such as protective eyewear use, is crucial for injury prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the portrayal of protective eyewear usage in popular scripted children's television shows.
- To identify the frequency of eye protection depiction during activities with inherent eye-risk.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of viewership data to identify top-rated scripted children's programs (ages 2-12).
- Content analysis of 30 episodes from broadcast and cable networks by two independent reviewers.
- Quantification of exposure-scenes requiring eye protection and instances of protective eyewear use.
Main Results:
- A total of 244 exposure-scenes requiring eye protection were identified across 30 episodes.
- Protective eyewear was depicted in only 19 instances (8% of exposure-scenes).
- Six eye injuries were depicted, and 87% of episodes included at least one exposure-scene.
Conclusions:
- The use of protective eyewear during eye-risk activities is significantly underrepresented in children's television.
- The infrequent depiction of both protective eyewear use and eye injuries represents a missed opportunity for health education.
- Further research could explore strategies to increase positive safety messaging in children's media.
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