Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Association between TV viewing, computer use and overweight, determinants and competing activities of screen time in 4- to 13-year-old children

International Journal of Obesity volume 37, pages 47–53 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

TV viewing and computer use is associated with childhood overweight, but it remains unclear as to how these behaviours could best be targeted. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent the association between TV viewing, computer use and overweight is explained by other determinants of overweight, to find determinants of TV viewing and computer use in the home environment and to investigate competing activities.

Method:

A cross-sectional study was carried out among 4072 children aged 4–13 years in the city of Zwolle, the Netherlands. Data collection consisted of measured height, weight and waist circumference, and a parental questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, child's nutrition, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour. Associations were studied with logistic regression analyses, for older and younger children, boys and girls separately.

Results:

The odds ratio (OR) of being overweight was 1.70 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07–2.72) for viewing TV >1.5 h among 4- to 8-year-old children adjusted for all potential confounders. Computer use was not significantly associated with overweight. Determinants of TV viewing were as follows: having >2 TVs in the household (OR: 2.38; 95% CI: 1.66–3.41), a TV in the child's bedroom and not having rules on TV viewing. TV viewing and computer use were both associated with shorter sleep duration and not with less PA.

Conclusion:

Association between TV viewing and overweight is not explained by socio-demographic variables, drinking sugared drinks and eating snacks. Factors in the home environment influence children's TV viewing. Parents have a central role as they determine the number of TVs, rules and also their children's bedtime. Therefore, interventions to reduce screen time should support parents in making home environmental changes, especially when the children are young.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ebbeling CB, Pawlak DB, Ludwig DS . Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure. Lancet 2002; 360: 473–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Daniels SR . The consequences of childhood overweight and obesity. Fut Children 2006; 16: 47–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Jackson-Leach RL, Lobstein T . Estimated burden of paediatric obesity and co-morbidities in Europe. Part 1. The increase in the prevalence of child obesity in Europe is itself increasing. Int J Pediatr Obes 2006; 1: 26–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Deshmukh-Taskar P, Nicklas TA, Morales M, Yang SJ, Zakeri I, Berenson GS . Tracking of overweight status from childhood to young adulthood: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Eur J Clin Nutr 2006; 60: 48–57.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Yang X, Telama R, Leskinen E, Mansikkaniemi K, Viikari J, Raitakari OT . Testing a model of physical activity and obesity tracking from youth to adulthood: the cardiovascular risk in young Finns study. Int J Obes (Lond) 2007; 31: 521–527.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. WHO. Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic: Report of a WHO Consultation. World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 1999.

  7. Adachi-Mejia AM, Longacre MR, Gibson JJ, Beach ML, Titus-Ernstoff LT, Dalton MA . Children with a TV in their bedroom at higher risk for being overweight. Int J Obes (Lond) 2007; 31: 644–651.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. van Zutphen M, Bell AC, Kremer PJ, Swinburn BA . Association between the family environment and television viewing in Australian children. J Paediatr Child Health 2007; 43: 458–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Saelens BE, Sallis JF, Nader PR, Broyles SL, Berry CC, Taras HL . Home environmental influences on children's television watching from early to middle childhood. J Dev Behav Pediatr 2002; 23: 127–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wijga AH, Scholtens S, Bemelmans WJ, Kerkhof M, Koppelman GH, Brunekreef B et al. Diet, screen time, physical activity, and childhood overweight in the general population and in high risk subgroups: prospective analyses in the PIAMA Birth Cohort. J Obes 2010; 2010: 9 pp.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Thomson M, Spence JC, Raine K, Laing L . The association of television viewing with snacking behavior and body weight of young adults. Am J Health Promot 2008; 22: 329–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Kremers SP, van der Horst K, Brug J . Adolescent screen-viewing behaviour is associated with consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages: the role of habit strength and perceived parental norms. Appetite 2007; 48: 345–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Must A, Tybor DJ . Physical activity and sedentary behavior: a review of longitudinal studies of weight and adiposity in youth. Int J Obes (Lond) 2005; 29 (Suppl 2): S84–S96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Melkevik O . Is spending time in screen-based sedentary behaviors associated with less physical activity: a cross national investigation. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Activity 2010; 7: 46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Dennison BA, Erb TA, Jenkins PL . Television viewing and television in bedroom associated with overweight risk among low-income preschool children. Pediatrics 2002; 109: 1028–1035.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hoyos Cillero I, Jago R . Sociodemographic and home environment predictors of screen viewing among Spanish school children. J Public Health (Oxf) 2011; 33: 392–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lampert T, Sygusch R, Schlack R . [Use of electronic media in adolescence. Results of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS)]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2007; 50: 643–652.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. van der Horst K, Oenema A, Ferreira I, Wendel-Vos W, Giskes K, van Lenthe F et al. A systematic review of environmental correlates of obesity-related dietary behaviors in youth. Health Educ Res 2007; 22: 203–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Golan M, Crow S . Parents are key players in the prevention and treatment of weight-related problems. Nutr Rev 2004; 62: 39–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Robinson TN . Reducing children's television viewing to prevent obesity: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 1999; 282: 1561–1567.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. de Jong E, Schokker DF, Visscher TL, Seidell JC, Renders CM . Behavioural and socio-demographic characteristics of Dutch neighbourhoods with high prevalence of childhood obesity. Int J Pediatr Obes 2011; 6: 298–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Fredriks AM, van Buuren S, Wit JM, Verloove-Vanhorick SP . Body index measurements in 1996–7 compared with 1980. Arch Dis Child 2000; 82: 107–112.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Cole TJ, Bellizzi MC, Flegal KM, Dietz WH . Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. BMJ Clinical Res 2000; 320: 1240–1243.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Cole T, Flegal K, Nicholls D, Jackson A . Body mass index cut offs to define thinness in children and adolescents: international survey. BMJ Clin Res 2007; 335: 194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. CBS. Statistisch Jaarboek 2000 Statistics Netherlands (CBS). CBS: Heerlen, The Netherlands, 2000.

  26. Bornstein MH, Bradley RH . Socioeconomic Status, Parenting, and Child Development. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Kemper HCG, Ooijendijk WTM, Stiggelbout M . Consensus over de Nederlandse norm voor gezond bewegen. TSG 2000; 78: 180–183.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Voedingscentrum. Gezond Eten Gezond Bewegen Met Kinderen Van 4-8 Jaar [Healthy Eating Healthy Physical Activity with Children Aged 4. Dutch Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum): The Hague, The Netherlands.

  29. Kimbro RT, Brooks-Gunn J, McLanahan S . Young children in urban areas: links among neighborhood characteristics, weight status, outdoor play, and television watching. Soc Sci Med 2011; 72: 668–676.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Vandewater EA, Rideout VJ, Wartella EA, Huang X, Lee JH, Shim MS . Digital childhood: electronic media and technology use among infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Pediatrics 2007; 119: e1006–e1015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Ortega FB, Chillon P, Ruiz JR, Delgado M, Albers U, Alvarez-Granda JL et al. Sleep patterns in Spanish adolescents: associations with TV watching and leisure-time physical activity. Eur J Appl Physiol 2010; 110: 563–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Hart CN, Cairns A, Jelalian E . Sleep and obesity in children and adolescents. Pediatr Clin N Am 2011; 58: 715–733.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Dewald JF, Meijer AM, Oort FJ, Kerkhof GA, Bogels SM . The influence of sleep quality, sleep duration and sleepiness on school performance in children and adolescents: a meta-analytic review. Sleep Med Rev 2010; 14: 179–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Baltissen A . Monitor Children Zwolle, Aged 0–12 year [Dutch: kindermonitor]. GGD Regio IJssel Vecht: Zwolle, The Netherlands, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank our partners in this monitoring study: the Zwolle city council, the local health services and several welfare organisations in the city. We also thank Sandra Bleeker and Hilly Langewen for the help in setting up the study. We are also greatly thankful to all the students who helped with the measurements, the participated schools and the sponsors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre for the Prevention of Overweight, VU University Amsterdam/Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Zwolle, The Netherlands

    E de Jong, T L S Visscher, J C Seidell & C M Renders

  2. Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    E de Jong, T L S Visscher, M W Heymans, J C Seidell & C M Renders

  3. Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    E de Jong, T L S Visscher, R A HiraSing, M W Heymans & J C Seidell

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    M W Heymans

Authors
  1. E de Jong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T L S Visscher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R A HiraSing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M W Heymans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. J C Seidell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. C M Renders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to E de Jong.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

de Jong, E., Visscher, T., HiraSing, R. et al. Association between TV viewing, computer use and overweight, determinants and competing activities of screen time in 4- to 13-year-old children. Int J Obes 37, 47–53 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.244

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.244

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links