title: The relationship between new media exposure and fast food consumption among Chinese children and adolescents in school: a rural-urban comparison.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In recent decades, China has experienced an exponential growth in the number of internet users, especially among the youngest population, as well as a rapid proliferation of Western-type fast food restaurants. The health consequences of internet availability and fast food consumption among youth have been largely studied in Western countries, but few studies have focused on China.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper has two goals. The first is to evaluate the differences in new media exposure and preferences for fast foods between rural and urban areas. The second goal is to test the association between new media exposure and fast food consumption. The targets of this analysis are Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-18 attending school at the time of the interview.
  
  
  METHODS
  Research hypotheses were tested using mean-groups comparisons for differences between rural urban sub-samples, and logistic regressions with odds ratios to estimate the relationship between media exposure and preferences towards fast foods. Cross-sectional data from the 2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey were employed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Watching online videos and playing computer games are behaviors associated with higher probabilities of eating at fast food restaurants in both rural and urban young residents, with higher odds in rural areas. Surfing the internet is associated with higher odds of being overweight in both rural and urban settings. Results also show that children living in rural areas spend significantly more time playing computer games, watching TV and videotapes, but less time doing homework than their urban peers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper suggests that monitoring the nutritional effects of new media exposure in China is of key importance in order to develop adequate health promotion policies, in both rural and urban areas.
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Public Economics and Administration, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China.
authors.forename: Francesca Valeria
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Hansstein
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Public Economics and Administration, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Public Economics and Administration, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D057140:Fast Foods / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D014505:Urban Population; D018910:Video Games
keywords: China; adolescents; children; fast food consumption; new media exposure; rural–urban comparison