Parent media attitudes and guidance and child media use for a group of preschool children

textThis dissertation provides a review of the literature and three studies related to home media environments and parent characteristics, attitudes, and media guidance for a group of preschool-aged children. The studies used a cross-sectional survey (N = 356) parents conducted at public health district WIC clinics over three weeks during 2008. In the first study, parents reported children’s media use, child and family characteristics, and the home media environment. Child’s age category (β = .495, p=.000) and the location of a TV or game console in the child’s room (β=.68, p = .000) predicted the number of media channels used by the child. The likelihood of activity-promoting media use was highest for two-and three-year-old children. The second study used structural equation modeling to examine child and parent characteristics, parent attitudes and home media density associated with time with media for 237 low-income Hispanic children aged six to 60 months. Results reflected significant relationships among parent media attitudes, home media density, and children’s time with TV, DVDs, and videogames. Parent attitudes and media density mediated children’s time with activity-promoting media. The third study examined the relationships of parent media guidance to media attitudes and children’s age and weight risk status. The study sample (n = 257) included low-income, primarily Hispanic, parents of children aged 12 to 72 months, with surveys matched to children’s weight measurements. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling reflected that parent media guidance was comprised of restrictive and promotive factors. Child age and child weight risk category were associated with promotive guidance, and child weight risk was negatively associated with parents’ health locus of control beliefs. These media use patterns imply that young children will use home screen media that promote physical activity. Interventions geared to reduce young children’s time with media as part of obesity prevention efforts should consider parent attitudes and beliefs concerning media and their children’s health as well as the health-promoting potential of the media children are using.Kinesiology and Health Educatio

Effects of Parenting Styles and Family Contributors on Physical Activity Behaviors in Arab Children Ages 6-10 Years Old Living in the US

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of parenting styles and family contributors on physical activity behaviors in Arab children living in the US. This mixed-method study included the Caregiver's Feeding Style Questionnaire (CFSQ), Family Nutrition Physical Activity (FNPA) survey, and five focus group discussions (FGD), guided by the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Twenty-three Arab mothers of 37 children aged 6-10 years old participated in this study. Seventeen mothers were overweight or obese, and six children were overweight or obese. Although all Arab mothers self-assessed that they were authoritative, only seven mothers were categorized as having an authoritative feeding style based on their CFSQ scores. The FNPA overall mean was 3.15, indicating less obesogenic family environments and behaviors. Across FGDs, common physical activity barriers included lack of time, the child being distracted by technology, and lack of a mother's interest in a child's physical activity due to culture and fear. Positive approaches included considering the child's interest in sports and involvement in physical activity with the child. Negative attitudes included pushing the child to do sports and the mother's lack of interest in physical activity. In correlation analyses, the mother's BMI was significantly correlated with the child's BMI z-scores (r = 0.325, p = 0.005). No significant associations were found between reported feeding styles (CFSQ), obesogenic family environments (FNPA), and child's BMI z-scores. This study can guide future efforts in developing effective education programs, including physical activity behaviors for Arab families

Video Games a New Challenge or a New Chance: How Digital Values in Video Games Can Instill Globalization Values in Your Children?

The main purpose of this cross-cultural study of socialization is to examine  local cultural factors against  global cultural factors, by investigating  the nature of relationship between north  digital values in  video games  and   Egyptian children values  and beliefs .   Content  analysis  of north  digital values in  video games  was carried out to describe the following tasks:  surrounding environment , beauty  values, gender relationship , closes type , goals  and   goals  tools . Meanwhile   survey  study was carried out January 2016  in greater Cairo “ Cairo-Giza governorates” - Egypt .   Study results show  that value of getting money and getting gender relationship are the most important winning values.  Also there are  significant relationship between acceptance degree of  north  digital values in  video games  and the habit of using video games .  One-way Analysis of variance was used to examine effects of gender, school types and  parents participation , on the privacy relationship , all examined factors were significant, which gives a good indication of how local social factor can play an important role in minimizing north values impact on Egyptian children values structure   Keywords Cross-cultural communication , Egyptian children values , North  digital values, Video games PlayStation , Socialization , Center periphery and Symbolic environment

Facilitating Adolescent Well-Being: A Review of the Challenges and Opportunities and the Beneficial Roles of Parents, Schools, Neighborhoods, and Policymakers

Adolescents face exceptional challenges and opportunities that may have a lifelong impact on their consumption and personal and societal well-being. Parents, community members (schools and neighborhoods), and policymakers play major roles in shaping adolescents and influencing their engagement in consumption behaviors that are either developmentally problematic (e.g., drug use and unhealthy eating) or developmentally constructive (e.g., academic pursuits and extracurricular activities). In this article, we discuss two main topics: (a) the challenges and opportunities that characterize adolescence, based primarily on research in epidemiology and neuroscience, and (b) the ways that parents, community members, and policymakers can facilitate positive adolescent development, based on research from many disciplines including marketing, psychology, sociology, communications, public health, and education. Our goal is to summarize the latest scientific findings that can be used by various stakeholders to help adolescents navigate this turbulent period and become well-adjusted, thriving adults

A qualitative study conducted in the USA exploring Latino fathers’ beliefs, attitudes and practices related to their young children’s eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviours

Objective: Increasing evidence documents fathers’ influential role in their children’s eating, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours (SB). We aimed to expand limited existing research examining fathers’ influence in these areas by exploring Latino fathers’ beliefs, attitudes and practices related to eating, PA and SB of their young children. Designs: Seven focus group discussions were conducted in Spanish with Latino fathers (n 28) of children aged 2–8 years. Audio recordings were transcribed and translated verbatim without identifiers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key concepts and themes using NVivo 11 software. Results: Fathers expressed positive beliefs and attitudes about the importance of healthy eating for their young children, themselves and their families. Nevertheless, the majority reported familial practices including eating out, getting take-out, etc. that have been linked to increased obesity risk among Latino children. Fathers were more involved and engaged in children’s PA than eating and feeding. However, several fathers reported engaging predominantly in sedentary activities with their children, appeared permissive of children’s sedentary habits and struggled to set limits on children’s screen-time. Conclusions: We provide new information on Latino fathers’ beliefs and child feeding and PA practices that may provide important targets for interventions aimed at promoting healthful eating and PA behaviours of Latino children. Future research should further quantify the influence of Latino fathers’ parenting styles and practices on development of children’s eating, PA and SB. This information is needed to identify risk factors amenable to interventions and to design culturally appropriate parenting and family-based interventions targeting Latino children’s home environment and designed to meet this ethnic group’s specific needs

Effect of Visual Media Use on School Performance: A Prospective Study

Purpose: To identify mechanisms for the impact of visual media use on adolescents\u27 school performance. Methods: We conducted a 24-month, four-wave longitudinal telephone study of a national sample of 6,486 youth aged 10 to 14 years. Exposure measures: latent construct for screen exposure time (weekday time spent viewing television/playing videogames, presence of television in bedroom) and variables for movie content (proportion of PG-13 and R movies viewed). Outcome measure: self- and parent reports of grades in school. Effects of media exposures on change in school performance between baseline and 24 months were assessed using structural equation modeling. Information about hypothesized mediators (substance use, sensation seeking, and school problem behavior) was obtained at baseline and at the 16-month follow-up. Results: Adjusted for baseline school performance, baseline levels of mediators, and a range of covariates, both screen exposure time and media content had adverse effects on change in school performance. Screen exposure had an indirect effect on poor school performance through increased sensation seeking. Viewing more PG-13 and R-rated movies had indirect effects on poor school performance mediated through increases in substance use and sensation seeking. R-rated viewing also had an indirect effect on poor school performance through increased school behavior problems. The effect sizes of exposure time and content on the intermediate variables and ultimately on school performance were similar to those for previously recognized determinants of these mediators, including household income, parenting style, and adolescents\u27 self-control. Conclusions: These aspects of visual media use adversely affect school performance by increasing sensation seeking, substance use, and school problem behavior

Adolescent free time activity participation and its relationships with perceptions of parenting and intrinsic motivation

The positive youth development framework emphasizes those developmental tasks and milestones that assist youth in the successful transition to adulthood. These developmental affordances thrive in contexts where social-emotional, physical and institutional resources e.g., family supports, resources, and socializing agents such as school and churches) are present. The current study is guided by Self-Determination Theory, which recognizes the important role that parents play in what youth do in their free time by articulating how youth internalize and value specific free time behaviors through autonomy supportive practices. Autonomy supportive parenting practices are those that allow youth to experience freedom and control in free time. Parenting practices (e.g., monitoring, involvement) that lack autonomy supportive traits (e.g., openness, agreeableness) and involvement during free time thwart the internalization process associated with motivation. The relationship between parents and youth is key to guiding youth to structured experiences that aid in development (e.g., sports, extracurricular activities), as well as making appropriate choices when faced with the prospect of unstructured free time. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between autonomy support from parents, free time motivation and types of recreation participation. Specifically, this study examined activity profiles of rural youth (N=283) and found that respondents' activity patterns were either after school/sports-based or home-based in their free time. The study compared youth by activity profiles on measures of intrinsic motivation and parent autonomy support. The relationships between intrinsic motivation, age of respondents, and perceptions of autonomy support from parents were also examined. No differences were observed between the after school based and home-based activity profiles with respect to intrinsic motivation or reported levels of parent autonomy support. A relationship between parent autonomy support and free time intrinsic motivation was observed. A negative relationship between age and parent autonomy support was also found, which suggests that parents were perceived to be less autonomy supportive and involved by older children in the sample. The lack of differentiation on motivation and parenting practices between groups were contrary to previous studies, which observed that youth who participate in structured activities reported higher levels of parent autonomy support and intrinsic motivation. Consistent with the literature, there was a relationship between parenting practices and intrinsic motivation in free time. The discussion explores the uniqueness of the rural setting from which the sample was drawn. This setting and the experiences of youth in rural environments support the need to examine community resources and offer experiences to youth when constraints related to distance and family responsibilities prevent access to existing structured experiences. The study also underscores the importance of parent autonomy supportive practices regardless of free time behavioral patterns. Directions for future research are offered given the limitations of cross-sectional research and reliance on data that were collected solely from the adolescent's perspective

Exploring the Life Course Perspective in Maternal and Child Health through Community-Based Participatory Focus Groups: Social Risks Assessment

Little is known about the patterns of risk factors experienced by communities of color and how diverse community contexts shape the health trajectory of women from the early childhood period to the time of their pregnancies. Thus, we conducted a focus group study to identify social risks over the life course that contribute to maternal and child health from the perspective of community members residing in low income urban areas. Ten community-based participatory focus groups were conducted with residents from selected communities in Tampa, Florida, from September to November 2013. We used the life course perspective to illuminate and explain the experiences reported by the interviewees. A total of 78 residents participated in the focus groups. Children and adolescents’ health risks were childhood obesity, lack of physical activity, and low self-esteem. Women’s health risks were low self-esteem, low educational level, low health literacy, inadequate parenting skills, and financial problems. Risks during pregnancy included stress, low self-esteem, inadequate eating patterns, lack of physical activity, healthcare issues, lack of social support, and lack of father involvement during pregnancy. Multiple risk factors contribute to maternal and child health in low income communities in Tampa Bay. The intersection of risk factors in different life periods suggest possible pathways, cumulative, and latent effects, which must be considered in future longitudinal studies and when developing effective maternal and child health programs and policies

Parents' Degree and Style of Restrictive Mediation of Young Children's Digital Gaming: Associations with Parental Attitudes and Perceived Child Adjustment

Objectives As young children increasingly grow up in a digital environment, parents are confronted with the question whether and how to regulate young children's digital gaming effectively. The goal of this study was to examine correlates of parents' degree of restrictive mediation and their (autonomy-supportive or controlling) style of doing so. Specifically, we tested associations of parents' degree and style of restrictive mediation with parents' attitudes about digital gaming, parental perceptions of children's defiance and problematic gaming, and their interest in social play. Methods A sample of 762 parents of children between 3 and 9 years filled out questionnaires on their degree and style of restrictive mediation, their attitudes about gaming, and their perceptions of children's oppositional defiance, problematic gaming, and interest in social play. Results We found that parents who hold more negative attitudes about digital gaming were more likely to use a controlling style when mediating their child's gaming. Further, a higher degree of restrictive mediation generally related to more adaptive child outcomes (i.e., lower levels of perceived defiance and problematic gaming, higher levels of perceived interest in social play), whereas the opposite pattern was found for parents' controlling style of mediation. Finally, these associations were not moderated by children's age or gender, nor by parents' gender or educational level. Conclusions Also in the context of children's digital gaming, it seems important for parents to set clear rules. Yet, when doing so, it is equally important to refrain from using controlling strategies, as they seem to be counterproductive