RT Journal
A1 Dennison BA, Russo TJ, Burdick PA, Jenkins PL
T1 AN intervention to reduce television viewing by preschool children
JF Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
JO Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
YR 2004
FD February 1
VO 158
IS 2
SP 170
OP 176
DO 10.1001/archpedi.158.2.170
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.158.2.170
AB Background 
    Television viewing has been associated with increased violence in play and higher rates of obesity. Although there are interventions to reduce television viewing by school-aged children, there are none for younger children.Objective 
    To develop and evaluate an intervention to reduce television viewing by preschool children.Design 
    Randomized controlled trial conducted in 16 preschool and/or day care centers in rural upstate New York.Patients 
    Children aged 2.6 through 5.5 years.Intervention 
    Children attending intervention centers received a 7-session program designed to reduce television viewing as part of a health promotion curriculum, whereas children attending the control centers received a safety and injury prevention program.Outcome Measurements 
    Change in parent-reported child television/video viewing and measured growth variables.Results 
    Before the intervention, the intervention and control groups viewed 11.9 and 14.0 h/wk of television/videos, respectively. Afterward, children in the intervention group decreased their television/video viewing 3.1 h/wk, whereas children in the control group increased their viewing by 1.6 h/wk, for an adjusted difference between the groups of −4.7 h/wk (95% confidence interval, −8.4 to −1.0 h/wk; P = .02). The percentage of children watching television/videos more than 2 h/d also decreased significantly from 33% to 18% among the intervention group, compared with an increase of 41% to 47% among the control group, for a difference of −21.5% (95% confidence interval, −42.5% to −0.5%; P = .046). There were no statistically significant differences in children's growth between groups.Conclusions 
    This study is the first to show that a preschool-based intervention can lead to reductions in young children's television/video viewing. Further research is needed to determine the long-term effects associated with reductions in young children's television viewing.