The use of television in 2- to 8-year-old children and the attitude of parents about such use
M. Valerio, P. Amodio, M. Dal Zio, A. Vianello and G. P. Zacchello
Mother-Child Territorial Service, University of Padova, Italy.
BACKGROUND: It has been recognized that uncontrolled use of television (TV)
in childhood is potentially harmful. Few data about family habits regarding
TV use are available. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quantitative-qualitative
TV viewing habits of children and the relationship between the attitudes of
parents about TV programs and TV use by their children. DESIGN: Descriptive
study. SETTING: General pediatric community. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience
sample. All the parents of the children attending the nursery school,
kindergarten, and the first 2 years of elementary school in a neighborhood
of Padova, a city in northern Italy. The parents of 156 children (95%)
responded. RESULTS: Nine percent of the children viewed TV for more than 3
hours per day, and 50% of the children viewed TV for 1 to 3 hours per day.
A range of TV programs were viewed. Parents were involved in the TV use of
their children; the most frequent way was by prohibiting some programs. The
attitudinal profiles of the parents about the contents and the value of TV
messages were notably associated with different kinds of TV use. A high
score (ie, an optimistic judgment) on the attitudinal profile about the
contents of TV programs was significantly associated with greater
quantitative (P < .04), uncritical exposure (P < .05) of children to
TV messages. A high score (ie, severe judgment) on the attitudinal profile
regarding the values of TV programs was associated with qualitatively
better exposure to TV (P < .05) and greater selectivity of programs
watched (P < .05). In the parents, a critical attitude seemed to have a
direct relationship with a higher social and educational level.
CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that the attitude of parents about
TV may influence the TV viewing habits of children. A broader study that
accounts for this factor and other factors that influence TV use is
necessary to better understand the reasons for the excessive exposure of
children to TV.
