Electronic media time and sedentary behaviors in children: Findings from the Built Environment and Active Play Study in the Washington DC area

Authors

Jennifer D. Roberts, University of Maryland at College ParkFollow
Lindsey Rodkey, University of Maryland at College ParkFollow
Rashawn Ray, University of Maryland at College ParkFollow
Brandon Knight, Uniformed Services University of the Health SciencesFollow
Brian E. Saelens, Seattle Children's Research InstituteFollow

Date of this Version

2017

Citation

Preventive Medicine Reports 6 (2017), pp. 149–156.

Comments

Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.

Abstract

An objective of the Built Environment and Active Play (BEAP) Study was to examine whether home built environment, bedroom electronic presence, parental rules and demographics predicted children's sedentary behavior (SB). In 2014, BEAP Study questionnaires were mailed to 2000 parents of children (7–12 years)within the Washington DC area. SB-Duration (hours/day) and SB-Frequency (days/week) were assessed by two questions with multiple subparts relating to SB activity type (e.g. car riding) and SB companionship (e.g. friends). Built environment, bedroom electronic presence, parental rules and demographic data were obtained through questionnaire items and ordered logistic regression models were used to examine whether these variables were associated with SB. Study sample included 144 children (female (50%); average age (9.7 years);White (56.3%); Black/African- American (23.7%); Asian-Americans (10.4%)). Nearly 40% of the sample reported daily solitary SB with car riding being the most frequently reported type of SB. Children living on streets without a dead-end/cul-de-sac exhibited a higher odds in SB-Duration using electric media [2.61 (CI: 1.31, 5.18)] and having no television in a child's bedroom was associated with a lower odds in SB-Frequency [0.048 (CI: 0.006, 0.393)] and SB-Duration [0.085 (CI: 0.018, 0.395)]. Non-Hispanic/Latino children were also found to have higher odds in solitary SB-Frequency when parental rules of electronic use were modeled [8.56 (CI: 1.11, 66.01)]. Based on results from this cross-sectional study, home neighborhood built environment, bedroom electronic presence and absence of parental rules can significantly predict children's SB.