Parental Estimates vs. Actual Child TV Time
Author Information
Author(s): Jodie L Robinson, Dana D Winiewicz, Janene H Fuerch, James N Roemmich, Leonard H Epstein
Primary Institution: State University of New York, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Hypothesis
Do parents accurately estimate their child's television watching time compared to objective measures?
Conclusion
Parents tend to overestimate their child's television time when there is no TV in the bedroom and underestimate it when there is a TV present.
Supporting Evidence
- Parents overestimated child television viewing by 1.1 to 5.3 hours/week compared to diaries.
- Children with a TV in their bedroom watched 8.5 more hours of TV per week than those without.
- Parental estimates were influenced by the number of TVs in the home.
Takeaway
Parents often guess how much TV their kids watch, but they get it wrong—especially if the TV is in the child's bedroom.
Methodology
Parental estimates of child television time were compared to objective measures from TV Allowance™ devices over three weeks.
Potential Biases
Parents may be biased in their estimates based on their perceptions of their child's weight status.
Limitations
The study only included families with children at the 75th BMI percentile or above, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Participants were 4-7 year old children, primarily White (77.5%), with a mean age of 6.0 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.02
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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