This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Certain, L. K.
Right arrow Articles by Kahn, R. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Certain, L. K.
Right arrow Articles by Kahn, R. S.
Related Collections
Right arrow Office Practice

PEDIATRICS Vol. 109 No. 4 April 2002, pp. 634-642

Prevalence, Correlates, and Trajectory of Television Viewing Among Infants and Toddlers

Laura K. Certain, BA and Robert S. Kahn, MD, MPH

From the Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

--> Objectives. Recognizing the negative effects of television on children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children 2 years and older watch <2 hours of television per day and that children younger than 2 years watch no television. However, relatively little is known about the amount of television viewed by infants and toddlers. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence and correlates of television viewing that exceeds the AAP guidelines for 0- to 35-month-olds and to examine the trajectory of a child’s viewing over time.

Methods. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1990 to 1998, were used to analyze reported television viewing at 0 to 35 months of age and to follow the trajectory of a child’s viewing from infancy through age 6. Logistic regression models were used to determine risk factors associated with greater television viewing at 0 to 35 months and the association of early viewing habits with school-age viewing.

Results. Seventeen percent of 0- to 11-month-olds, 48% of 12- to 23-month-olds, and 41% of 24- to 35-month-olds were reported to watch more television than the AAP recommends. Compared with college graduates, less-educated women were more likely to report that their children watched more television than recommended. Children who watched >2 hours per day at age 2 were more likely to watch >2 hours per day at age 6 (odds ratio: 2.7; 95% confidence interval: 1.8–3.9), controlling for maternal education, race, marital status and employment, household income, and birth order.

Conclusions. A substantial number of children begin watching television at an earlier age and in greater amounts than the AAP recommends. Furthermore, these early viewing patterns persist into childhood. Preventive intervention research on television viewing should consider targeting infants and toddlers and their families.

Key Words: television • infant • children • longitudinal survey • socioeconomic factors

Abbreviations: AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics • NLSY, National Longitudinal Survey of Youth • HOME, Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment • OR, odds ratio • CI, confidence interval

Received for publication Jun 14, 2001; Accepted Oct 15, 2001.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
A. L. Mendelsohn, S. B. Berkule, S. Tomopoulos, C. S. Tamis-LeMonda, H. S. Huberman, J. Alvir, and B. P. Dreyer
Infant Television and Video Exposure Associated With Limited Parent-Child Verbal Interactions in Low Socioeconomic Status Households
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, May 1, 2008; 162(5): 411 - 417.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
B. A. Spear, S. E. Barlow, C. Ervin, D. S. Ludwig, B. E. Saelens, K. E. Schetzina, and E. M. Taveras
Recommendations for Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity
Pediatrics, December 1, 2007; 120(Supplement_4): S254 - S288.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
F. J. Zimmerman and D. A. Christakis
Associations Between Content Types of Early Media Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems
Pediatrics, November 1, 2007; 120(5): 986 - 992.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
K. B. Mistry, C. S. Minkovitz, D. M. Strobino, and D. L.G. Borzekowski
Children's Television Exposure and Behavioral and Social Outcomes at 5.5 Years: Does Timing of Exposure Matter?
Pediatrics, October 1, 2007; 120(4): 762 - 769.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
D. A. Christakis
Can We Turn a Toxin Into a Tonic? Toward 21st-Century Television Alchemy
Pediatrics, September 1, 2007; 120(3): 647 - 648.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
F. J. Zimmerman, D. A. Christakis, and A. N. Meltzoff
Television and DVD/Video Viewing in Children Younger Than 2 Years
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, May 1, 2007; 161(5): 473 - 479.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Pediatr PsycholHome page
C. J. Miller, D. J. Marks, S. R. Miller, O. G. Berwid, E. C. Kera, A. Santra, and J. M. Halperin
Brief Report: Television Viewing and Risk for Attention Problems in Preschool Children
J. Pediatr. Psychol., May 1, 2007; 32(4): 448 - 452.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
E. A. Vandewater, V. J. Rideout, E. A. Wartella, X. Huang, J. H. Lee, and M.-s. Shim
Digital Childhood: Electronic Media and Technology Use Among Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
Pediatrics, May 1, 2007; 119(5): e1006 - e1015.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
R. R. Thakkar, M. M. Garrison, and D. A. Christakis
A Systematic Review for the Effects of Television Viewing by Infants and Preschoolers
Pediatrics, November 1, 2006; 118(5): 2025 - 2031.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
J. C. Lumeng, S. Rahnama, D. Appugliese, N. Kaciroti, and R. H. Bradley
Television Exposure and Overweight Risk in Preschoolers
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, April 1, 2006; 160(4): 417 - 422.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
D. A. Thompson and D. A. Christakis
The Association Between Television Viewing and Irregular Sleep Schedules Among Children Less Than 3 Years of Age
Pediatrics, October 1, 2005; 116(4): 851 - 856.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
H. L. Burdette and R. C. Whitaker
A National Study of Neighborhood Safety, Outdoor Play, Television Viewing, and Obesity in Preschool Children
Pediatrics, September 1, 2005; 116(3): 657 - 662.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
F. J. Zimmerman and D. A. Christakis
Children's Television Viewing and Cognitive Outcomes: A Longitudinal Analysis of National Data
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, July 1, 2005; 159(7): 619 - 625.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
F. J. Zimmerman, G. M. Glew, D. A. Christakis, and W. Katon
Early Cognitive Stimulation, Emotional Support, and Television Watching as Predictors of Subsequent Bullying Among Grade-School Children
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, April 1, 2005; 159(4): 384 - 388.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
S. Wiehe, H. Lynch, and K. Park
Sugar High: The Marketing of Soft Drinks to America's Schoolchildren
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, March 1, 2004; 158(3): 209 - 211.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
B. A. Dennison, T. J. Russo, P. A. Burdick, and P. L. Jenkins
An Intervention to Reduce Television Viewing by Preschool Children
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, February 1, 2004; 158(2): 170 - 176.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
H. L. Burdette, R. C. Whitaker, R. S. Kahn, and J. Harvey-Berino
Association of Maternal Obesity and Depressive Symptoms With Television-Viewing Time in Low-Income Preschool Children
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, September 1, 2003; 157(9): 894 - 899.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
R. C. Whitaker
Obesity Prevention in Pediatric Primary Care: Four Behaviors to Target
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, August 1, 2003; 157(8): 725 - 727.
[Full Text] [PDF]