Childhood Body Mass Index and Parental Monitoring of Television Viewing

Background:  Childhood obesity remains a serious public health issue that disproportionately affects low-income, low-education households.  Identifying modifiable risk factors for obesity remains a priority for prevention researchers.  Recent research among predominantly white children aged 5 to 9 found that more parental monitoring and limiting of media use (i.e. mediation of media use), particularly maternal mediation, predicted lower BMI over time among children.  Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to examine whether this relationship between parental mediation of media use and BMI over time can be replicated among diverse children of an older age in a longitudinal analysis. 

Methods:  The current study examined the effects of parental mediation of media use (television viewing) on BMI using the Healthy Passages participants, which includes over 5,000 African American, Caucasian, and Latino children.  Participants were surveyed and BMI was measured at ages 10, 12 and 15.  Parental mediation of media use was assessed with several items including viewing together, television rules, knowledge of child viewing, and a TV in the child’s bedroom.  We hypothesized parental mediation would predict child BMI as in previous research, but that there may be differences across gender and race/ethnicity.  To test our hypotheses, we conducted regression analysis using complex samples general linear model to predict BMI at ages 12 and 15 (time 2 and time 3) based on parental monitoring of child television viewing at age 10 (time 1).  We tested for interaction effects between gender and race/ethnicity and parental mediation.  Models controlled for parental BMI, parental education, parental monitoring of general child behaviors, child exercise, child sports participation, and child hours of TV viewing.

Results:  Results of regression analyses indicated that one facet of parental mediation, a TV in the child’s bedroom at time 1, was significantly predictive of BMI at age 12 but not at age 15.  Time spent viewing TV at time 1 was also significantly predictive of BMI, as was parental BMI and parental education, at time 2 and time 3.  There were no significant group difference as indicated by non-significant interaction terms. 

Conclusions.  These findings mirror those of previous researchers, yet extend the research into diverse youth across adolscence.  We conclude that one simple form of parental mediation (not allowing a TV in a child’s bedroom) could have the potential to lower childhood risk of obesity and may be a potential target for future prevention and intervention research.