[Television and adolescents].
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the television customs of adolescents between 10 and 14 years old in our care environment, in order to work out special educational programmes.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study. Systematic random sampling.


METHODS
Primary care, urban setting.


METHODS
Sample of 280 healthy adolescents between 10 and 14 years old (148 men and 132 women).


METHODS
Questionnaire with 7 questions on television habits filled in by one of every three young people in the health examination for their age-group during the 2000-2001 school year.


RESULTS
70.9% watched television (TV) since before the age of 3; 71.4% of homes had two or more TV; 20.7% had TV in their bed-rooms. 43.6% were accustomed to watching TV without adult company. 98.1% watched TV every day of the week. Time devoted to watching TV was 119 minutes every working day (Monday to Friday) and 186 minutes at the week-ends (Saturday and Sunday). In addition, 76.4% also watched TV at one of the day's meals, especially the evening meal.


CONCLUSIONS
TV is treated in our homes with enormous permissiveness. Children are given easy access from a very early age: TV is placed in bed-rooms and the contents watched are hardly controlled at all. In consequence, adolescents' TV consumption is excessive and indiscriminate.
Centro de Salud de Estella, Servicio Navarro de Salud-Osasunbidea, España.
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Durá Travé
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Mauleón Rosquil
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Gúrpide Ayarra
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010541:Permissiveness; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013690:Television; D013997:Time Factors; D014505:Urban Population