Socio-demographic, psychosocial and home-environmental attributes associated with adults' domestic screen time
2011

Factors Affecting Adults' Screen Time at Home

Sample size: 419 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Van Dyck Delfien, Cardon Greet, Deforche Benedicte, Owen Neville, De Cocker Katrien, Wijndaele Katrien, De Bourdeaudhuij Ilse

Primary Institution: Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)

Hypothesis

What socio-demographic, psychosocial, and home-environmental factors are associated with adults' domestic screen time?

Conclusion

Educational level, age, self-efficacy, and perceived pros and cons were the most important factors influencing screen time in adults.

Supporting Evidence

  • Higher education and self-efficacy were negatively associated with TV viewing time.
  • Older age and higher BMI were positively associated with TV viewing time.
  • More computers in the home were positively associated with leisure-time Internet use.
  • Perceived pros of reducing screen time were negatively associated with both TV viewing and Internet use.
  • Family social norms influenced leisure-time Internet use.

Takeaway

This study found that older and less-educated adults tend to watch more TV and use the Internet more at home, and feeling confident about reducing screen time can help.

Methodology

Cross-sectional study using a mail-out survey to collect data on screen time and its correlates.

Potential Biases

Self-reported measures may suffer from social desirability bias.

Limitations

The study's cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, and self-reported data may be biased.

Participant Demographics

Participants were aged 20-65 years, with a mean age of 48.5 years; 47.3% were men.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001 for age and p=0.030 for BMI in relation to TV viewing time.

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-11-668

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication