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 Kuo, A. A.
Right arrow Articles by Halfon, N.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kuo, A. A.
Right arrow Articles by Halfon, N.
Related Collections
Right arrow Office Practice
PEDIATRICS Vol. 113 No. 6 June 2004, pp. 1944-1951

SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE

Parent Report of Reading to Young Children

Alice A. Kuo, MD, MEd*,{ddagger}, Todd M. Franke, PhD{ddagger},§, Michael Regalado, MD|| and Neal Halfon, MD, MPH*,{ddagger},¶

* Department of Pediatrics, Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
{ddagger} UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities, Los Angeles, California
§ UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research, Los Angeles, California
|| Department of Pediatrics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors and frequency of book-sharing activities in a nationally representative sample of families with young children and to examine the extent to which parents report that pediatric health care providers are addressing early literacy activities.

Methods. This study analyzed data from the 2000 National Survey of Early Childhood Health (NSECH), a telephone survey of 2068 parents of children aged 4 to 35 months. Parents were queried about the frequency of reading with their child, whether their pediatric provider discussed reading in the past year, and, if not, whether a discussion of the importance of reading to their child would have been helpful. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multivariate logistic regression to identify predictors of daily reading among parents of young children nationally were used.

Results. Approximately 52% of young children are reportedly read to every day by a parent. Significant predictors of daily reading include older child’s age (19–35 months; odds ratio [OR]: 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18–2.65, as compared with 4–9 months), maternal education greater than high school (OR: 2.00; 95% CI: 1.24–3.22), greater number of children’s books in the home (OR: 1.01; 95% CI: 1.00–1.01), and discussion of reading by the pediatric provider (OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.23–2.24). Lower odds of daily reading are found for maternal full-time working status (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.49–0.95), black race/ethnicity (OR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.41–0.91), Hispanic race/ethnicity (OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.37–0.86), Spanish language–dominant parents (OR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.22–0.62), and >1 child in the household (2 children OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.48–0.97; 3 children OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.35–0.82). Approximately 37% of parents of young children stated that their child’s pediatric provider had not discussed reading with them. Nearly half (47%) of these parents indicated that they would have found such a discussion helpful.

Conclusions. Family context and daily reading routines are important for a child’s early literacy development. This national study identifies how family characteristics and routines are associated with the family’s literacy orientation. The analysis also indicates that a large percentage of parents with young children who do not read daily believe that it would be helpful to discuss the importance of reading with their child’s pediatric provider.

Key Words: reading • literacy promotion • health supervision

Abbreviations: AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics • NSECH, National Survey of Early Childhood Health • PEDS, Parent Evaluation of Developmental Status • MHI-5, 5-item Mental Health Index • OR, odds ratio • CI, confidence interval • NSLP, National School Lunch Program

Received for publication Oct 20, 2003; Accepted Jan 13, 2004.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child.Home page
E Duursma, M Augustyn, and B Zuckerman
Reading aloud to children: the evidence
Arch. Dis. Child., July 1, 2008; 93(7): 554 - 557.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Communication Disorders QuarterlyHome page
T. I. Saenz and D. M. Felix
English-Speaking Latino Parents' Literacy Practices in Southern California
Communication Disorders Quarterly, January 1, 2007; 28(2): 93 - 106.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
R. Needlman
Thoughts on health supervision: learning-focused primary care.
Pediatrics, June 1, 2006; 117(6): e1233 - e1236.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Journal of Early Childhood ResearchHome page
B. Raban and A. Nolan
Reading practices experienced by preschool children in areas of disadvantage
Journal of Early Childhood Research, October 1, 2005; 3(3): 289 - 298.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
M. S. Rosenthal, C. M. Lannon, J. M. Stuart, L. Brown, W. C. Miller, and P. A. Margolis
A Randomized Trial of Practice-Based Education to Improve Delivery Systems for Anticipatory Guidance
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, May 1, 2005; 159(5): 456 - 463.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JWatch PediatricsHome page
What Parents Think of Well Child Healthcare in the U.S.
Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, July 12, 2004; 2004(712): 2 - 2.
[Full Text]