title: Television watching at Greek paediatric hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study investigated the television watching habits of children in hospital compared with those at home and the factors which influence them.
  
  
  METHODS
  A random sample of 546 school aged children hospitalized in paediatric hospitals (2) in Athens (Greece) was studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children's television watching time in the hospital was found to be higher compared to that at home. The characteristics which influence this result are the duration of hospitalization, the television rent, who does the programme selection and the frequency of visits (p<0.001 for all tests).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children especially in hospitals should watch television accompanied by their parents/caregivers who should help them to decode the received messages, check the quality of the programmes and intervene in the time spent watching television.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 123 Papadiamadopoulou Street, 11527 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Matziou
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zachos
authors.forename: Heleni
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kletsiou
authors.forename: Antigoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Triantafyllidou
authors.forename: Constantinos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tsoumakas
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D013690:Television / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*