Television in the Lives of our Children: Obesity and Social Development

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Television in the Lives of our ChildrenObesity
and Social Development
Eric Meechan Jesse Duncan Soojin Choi Shawn
Witty-Allen

• Communication 436
• April 11, 2002

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• Historical overview - Jesse

• Obesity - Shawn

• Social Development - Eric

• Conclusions - Soojin

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Historical overview.

• 1700s AGRARIAN SOCIETY
• hard physical labor for subsistence
• limited food resources

• 1800s FROM LATE AGRARIAN TO INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY

• Migration to cities, change in labor patterns

• Increase in consumer goods income

• Increase in food options

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1900s from Industrial to Information Society

• From physical to mental labor

• Food Processing changed what and how we eat

• Blinding pace of technological changes

• 1901 - radio receivers

• 1910 - first talking movies

• 1929 - car radios

• 1940 - color television

• 1946 - microwave oven

• 1987 - 3-D video games

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(No Transcript)
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OBESITY THE PROBLEM

• TV viewing increases obesity in children

• In less than one generation, childhood obesity
  has more than doubled

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Some Facts...
About Kids Television

• Children who watch 4 or more hours per day are
  much more likely to be obese

• U.S. children watch an average of 21-28 hours
  every week

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More Facts...
About Kids Television

• The typical high school graduate
• has spent 15,000-18,000 watching TV equivalent
  to 625 750 days

• compared to 12,000 hours in school
  equivalent to 500 days

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OBESITY, SES, AND SEX

• Lower SES watch more TV

• Higher percentage are obese

• Obesity and TV stronger in girls

• General obesity more prevalent in boys (12.4
  versus 10.9)

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NEGATIVE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH TV VIEWING...

• Poor eating habits

• Decrease in physical activity

• Increased adiposity/obesity

• Higher cholesterol levels

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POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS...

• Role modeling by parents

• Restore "family" meals

• Limit children's TV time and encourage
  spontaneous play

• Pedal-powered TV?

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The Social Development Effects of Television on
Children
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Television Viewing Averages
The average child watches television 3-5 hours
per day 7 days a week 960 - 1,680 hours per
year. Children lose 70 days 10 weeks to
television annually
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Television Viewing Averages
By 10 years a child can potentially lose nearly 2
years to television Children are in school only
1,260 hours per year.
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Social Learning Development
Social Learning Theory - modeling - vicarious
theoretical interpretation (reinforcement) -
behavior script - evaluation
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Social Learning Development
Television as a social agent - builds a childs
social perspective - serves as a social agent
secondary socializer - direct impact on
values, beliefs, behaviors, peer values
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Social Learning Development
Cultivation Theory assumes that the common
perception of reality cultivated in viewers have
significant consequences, both personal and
social. (Wright, 1986)
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Social Learning Development
Viewers who perceive, and believe in, television
as a source of useful information that can help
them vicariously to solve problems and to cope,
likely perceive television as fairly realistic.
(Potter, 1986)
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CONCLUSIONS SOLUTIONS . . .

• Role modeling by parents
• Restore family meals
• Limit childrens TV time, Encourage physical
  activities
• Pedal-powered TV?

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Role-modeling by parents

• Develop a healthy lifestyle.
• Make a few basic rules such as no television
  during meals, or before household tasks
  or homework are completed.
• Involve family activities (hiking, bicycling,
  swimming, etc.)

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Role-modeling by parents

• Encourage children to watch programs that
  demonstrate helping, caring and cooperation.
• Explain to your child how drugs, violent and
  sexual content on entertainment programs is
  faked and what might happen if other people
  casually tried these same stunts. Discuss the
  difference between fantasy and reality.

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Restore family meals
Eat healthfully and maintain weight. Use the Food
Guide Pyramid as a guide for healthful
eating. Assess dietary intake. Monitor portion
sizes. Wait few minutes before giving additional
servings. A break allows the child to determine
if hunger is the issue.
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Restore family meals
Modify food preparation if needed. Reduce the use
of fats and sugars. Learn to modify recipes.
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Limit childrens TV time, Encourage physical
activities

• Children eat more when they watch TV.
• They tend to eat things that are advertised on TV
  such as candy bars, sugared cereals)
• Give children opportunities to explore new
  environment (ex, parks, museums, library)

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Limit childrens TV time, Encourage physical
activities
Take them to places where theyre able to
interact with other children and make friends.
(ex, sports, hobbies, conversation)
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Pedal-powered TV?
An exercise bike hooked up to a television. Shows
picture only when the pedals are moving. If they
want to watch, they will have to pedal. In
experiments, children watched far less TV when
they had to cycle.
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Questions?