Exploring Mediation Roles of Child Screen-Viewing between Parental Factors and Child Overweight in Taiwan

Yi-Ching Lin, Meng-Che Tsai, Carol Strong, Yi-Ping Hsieh, Chung-Ying Lin and Clara S. C. Lee
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Yi-Ching Lin: Department of Early Childhood and Family Education, College of Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei 10671, Taiwan
Meng-Che Tsai: Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
Carol Strong: Department of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
Yi-Ping Hsieh: Department of Social Work, College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
Chung-Ying Lin: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Clara S. C. Lee: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-10

Abstract: Children’s screen-viewing behavior is influenced by parents’ own screen-viewing hours and the parental rules set for screen-viewing time. However, whether childhood obesity is associated with these three factors has not been widely investigated in Chinese populations. We examined the relationships between parental rules, parental screen-viewing, child screen-viewing and child overweight. Questionnaires were distributed to 1300 parents who had children studying in two elementary schools in an eastern Taiwanese City (Yi-Lan). We collected the data (the final response rate was 77.7%) on children’s health states, the length of screen-viewing time, and whether parental rules of screen-viewing time have been set ( n = 1005). Models using structural equation modeling, with controlling of age, gender, and physical activity of the participants, were carried out, to examine the mediated effect of child screen-viewing. The results of model testing showed that child screen-viewing could be a mediator in the associations between parental rule and child overweight (parental rule: coefficient = −0.18, p < 0.001); and between parent screen-viewing and child overweight (parent screen-viewing: coefficient = 0.072, p < 0.001). These findings suggested that parental factors (rules and little screen viewing time) effectively decreased the level of children’s screen-viewing time, and the child screen-viewing time could mediate the association between parental factors and child overweight in the Chinese population.

Keywords: child; obesity; parent behavior; parental rule; screen-viewing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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