Demographic, Physical, and Behavioral Characteristics Associated with TV Parenting Practices Among Latino Parents of Preschool Children

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2015

Introduction: Latino children are disproportionately affected by obesity. Television (TV) viewing is linked with childhood obesity, decreased physical activity levels, and increased sedentary time. Valkenburg’s TV Parenting Practices (TVPP) scale characterizes parental mediation of children’s TV viewing. This study assesses what social, cultural, and demographic variables are associated with TVPP in a population of Latino parents of preschoolers. Methods: Latino preschoolers (n=89) were recruited from several Head Start centers in the Houston area. Socio-demographics, anthropometrics, acculturation, neighborhood disorder, and TV viewing were measured. Actigraph GT1M accelerometers measured physical activity. Multiple linear regression was used with TVPP as the dependent variables. Results: Social co-viewing and average daily hours of TV viewing were positively and significantly associated (β= 0.23, p=0.046) and restrictive mediation scores were significantly and negatively associated with child gender (β= -.23, p=0.041,) that is, parents of girls used restrictive mediation less frequently than parents of boys. Instructional mediation scores were not associated with any of the baseline characteristics or average hours of TV viewing. Conclusion: Well-designed, culturally competent interventions are needed to help decrease the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and associated poor health outcomes in Latino children in the US. TVPP, particularly restrictive mediation and social co-viewing, represent a key target for overweight and obesity-prevention programs in this population.