Associated factors to availability and use of electronic media in children from preschool to 4th grade

Introduction: The increased availability of electronic media has changed the behavior in children and young people by encouraging sedentary lifestile, with health effects from a very young age. Objective: To characterize the availability and use of electronic media and its associated factors in children from preschool through 4th grade. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study with cluster sampling was carried out. Parents filled out the demographic survey, the availability and use of electronic media at home and in the child's room. Log-binomial regression models were applied to estimate prevalence ratios adjusted for the sampling. Results: Seven hundred and ten parents answered. The average age of the children was 6.7 years and 49.7% were male. Factors such as the mother working out of the house and family income were positively associated with the availability of electronic media at home and in the child's room. The availability of a TV, computer and console in the child's room, contributes to longer use of these electronic media. Both, the male gender and age of the child, were positively associated with the availability and use of electronic media. Conclusion: This is the first study in Colombia that reports the availability and use of electronic media in children. It is clear that modern life encourages sedentary behavior from the earliest years of life, which has been associated with health problems from early childhood. Intervention studies are needed aimed at reducing these behaviors in our context.