Does eating during television viewing affect preschool children's intake?
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of television (TV) viewing on children's lunch and snack intake in one condition when the children watched a 22-minute cartoon video on TV (TV group), and in another without the TV (no TV group). Participants included 24 children and their parents, recruited from a university child-care center. Parents reported children's TV viewing habits at home. Overall, children ate significantly less snack and lunch in the TV condition compared with the no TV condition. However, children who reportedly watched more daily hours of TV and who had a higher frequency of meals eaten in front of the TV at home ate more lunch in the TV condition. TV viewing may either increase or reduce children's intake, depending on prior experience with eating during TV viewing.
Department of Biobehavioral Health, 315 East Health and Human Development Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. LAF169@psu.edu
Lori A
LA
Francis
Leann L
LL
Birch
D015992:Body Mass Index; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013690:Television