Research & Practice
Do screen time policies matter? The association between the presence of screen time policies in child care facilities and child care provider knowledge, provider advocacy and facility practices
Childhood obesity affects millions of children in the United States; the estimated prevalence of obesity among two to five year olds has doubled between 1980 and 2008. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and many agencies of the United States Department of Health and Human Services identify screen time as an important risk factor for childhood obesity. Screen time is commonly defined as time spent watching TV, videotapes, or DVDs, playing video or computer games, surfing the Internet, and anything else that requires watching a screen. Child care environments and the policies that impact those environments are a prime area for obesity prevention efforts including screen time reduction because a large proportion of children spend time in these settings.
This study aims to 1) describe child care providers’ screen time knowledge, provider advocacy with families around screen time issues, and child care facility screen time practices 2) examine whether factors such as child care facility type (home-based versus center-based) and years of child care experience are associated with knowledge, provider advocacy for screen time recommendations with families, and facility practices regarding screen time issues 3) investigate associations between screen time policies in child care facilities and child care provider knowledge, provider advocacy, and facility practices regarding screen time issues.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): Master's Thesis
Author(s): Elizabeth Aong
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2013
Adviser(s):