Television Viewing Habits of Overweight and Obese Mothers Enrolled in HEALTH Cynthia Schwarz, MPH, MS, RD, Christina Lapka, MS, RD, Karen Steger-May, MA, Rachel Tabak, PhD, RD, Debra Haire-Joshu, PhD Center for Obesity Prevention and Policy Research, George Warren Brown School of Social Work and Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO Background & Methods Results Background Prior research suggests that television (TV) viewing and TV in the bedroom are associated with obesity. The HEALTH (Healthy Eating and Active Living Taught at Home) study evaluates the translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) into the Parents As Teachers child development program with overweight and obese mothers and their preschool child. TV and computer viewing at mealtimes Demographics (N=222) Mother Child Age MN = 32 (SD 6) MN = 3.4 (SD 0.8) BMI MN BMI = 34.7 (SD 5.1) MN BMI %ile = 81 (SD 13) Race White 55% 52% African American 37% Other 8% 11% Purpose To determine the household environment and routines related to TV viewing of mothers enrolled in HEALTH. Percent of mothers reporting watching more than 2 hours of TV a day 64% during the week 71% on weekends Methods & measures Mothers (age 18 to 45; BMI 25-45) were located in the St. Louis region and had a preschool child at-risk for obesity (60th%ile to 84%ile for BMI) or were already overweight or obese (≥85%ile for BMI). Height and weight of the mother and preschooler were collected by trained staff. Mothers completed a survey about the presence of a TV in the room of the preschool child and mother, TV use at mealtimes, and TV and computer viewing time (for playing games, emailing, chatting, or surfing on the internet) on weekdays and weekends. Questions regarding TV at mealtimes used a likert scale (Responses: never, rarely, sometimes, often, always). 40% of mothers reported their preschool-aged child had a TV in his/her bedroom 68% of mothers reported having a TV in her bedroom TV in the bedroom Conclusions Percent of mothers reporting spending more than 1 hour of free time on a computer a day In order to prevent the intergenerational transfer of obesogenic patterns from mother to child, these data suggest mothers need further education about the relationship between TV viewing and obesity. In particular interventions are needed to educate mothers on the dangers of having a TV in the bedroom and on during snack and mealtimes. 77% during the week 67% on weekends Funded by: National Institutes of Health Funded by: National Institutes of Health