title: Neighborhood characteristics and TV viewing in youth: nothing to do but watch TV?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neighborhoods that discourage physical activity may encourage indoor activities such as television viewing; however few studies have examined associations between neighborhood characteristics and sedentary activities. This study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between perceived and objective measures of the physical and social neighborhood environment and TV viewing among children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional and longitudinal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of 190 children and 169 adolescents completed questionnaire items regarding facilities for physical activity, neighborhood safety (general and traffic), social trust/cohesion, social networks and their child's TV viewing in 2006. Adolescents self-reported their TV viewing. Objective measures of reported crime and neighborhood destinations, road connectivity and traffic exposure were also collected. Questions about TV viewing were repeated in 2008 (longitudinal sample: 157 children; 105 adolescents).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In children, cul-de-sac density and reported crime were positively and parental agreement that their neighborhood has good sporting facilities was negatively associated with TV viewing in cross-sectional analyses. There were no longitudinal associations among children. In adolescents, number of sports options and parental agreement that there is so much traffic that it is difficult/unpleasant for their child to walk were negatively associated with TV viewing 2 years later.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Crime and a lack of quality sporting facilities or options may contribute to greater TV viewing among youth.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Australia. anna.timperio@deakin.edu.au
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Timperio
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salmon
authors.forename: Kylie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: Saskia J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: te Velde
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brug
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003415:Crime; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D057566:Self Report; D013177:Sports; D013690:Television / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*