Links between parents' and girls' television viewing behaviors: A longitudinal examination

Objective This longitudinal study examines links between parents' television (TV)-related parenting practices and their daughter's daily TV viewing hours. Study design Participants included 173 non-Hispanic white girls and their parents who were examined when girls were age 9 and 11 years. Girls' daily TV viewing hours, mothers' and fathers' daily TV viewing hours, parents' use of TV as a recreational activity, family TV co-viewing, and parents' restriction of girls' access to TV were assessed. Results Approximately 40% of girls exceeded the TV-viewing recommendations (ie <= 2 hours/day). Girls watched significantly more TV when their parents were high-volume,TV viewers, relied heavily on TV as a recreational activity, watched TV with them, and failed to limit their access to TV. A parenting risk score was calculated by collapsing information across all parenting variables. In comparison with girls exposed to 1 or fewer parenting risk factors at age 9, girls exposed to 2 or more parenting risk factors were 5 to 10 times more likely to exceed TV viewing recommendations at age 9 and 11. Conclusions Efforts to reduce TV viewing among children should encourage parents to limit their own TV viewing, reduce family TV viewing time, and limit their children's access to TV.