Television viewing and food habits in toddlers and preschoolers in Greece: the GENESIS study.
The aim of the current study was to evaluate the association between television (TV) viewing time and dietary habits of preschoolers. A representative sample of 2,374 Greek children aged 1-5 years was examined (GENESIS study). The majority of participants (74.0%) spent less than 2 h/day watching TV. Children spending > or =2 h/day watching TV seem to have higher energy intake compared to children watching TV less than 2 h/day, even after adjustment for potential confounders (p < 0.001). Furthermore, it was detected that the former were more likely to consume more than 5, 2, and 1.5 exchanges of fat, meat, and other carbohydrates per day, respectively, compared to the latter. In conclusion, the current findings indicate that prolonged TV viewing time may be associated with increased consumption of high-fat and high-sugar foods resulting in increased daily energy intake. Therefore, interventions aiming to modify children's TV viewing behaviour might need to be implemented.
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University of Athens, Kallithea, Athens, Greece. manios@hua.gr
Yannis
Y
Manios
Katerina
K
Kondaki
Georgia
G
Kourlaba
Evangelia
E
Grammatikaki
Manolis
M
Birbilis
Elina
E
Ioannou
D000367:Age Factors; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008019:Life Style; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013690:Television / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors