CHILDHOOD WELLBEING & MEDIA USAGE JD felt California State University, Dominguez Hills

Presentation outline  Childhood wellbeing (ChW)  What is it?  What does ChW mean to you?  Media & technology usage (M&T)  What is it?  What does M&T have to do with ChW?  Our Study  Why, what, how, & who  Discussion, conclusion & recommendations

Childhood wellbeing  Wellbeing; what it is & what its not  Optimal mental & physical health  (Heady, Holmstrom, & Wearing, 1984)  Not absence of illness  (WHO, 1999)  How ChW relates to ill-being  (Heady, Holmstrom, & Wearing, 1984)

Childhood wellbeing  What do we know about kid’s health today?  Obesity, poor eating habits, inactivity  Type II diabetes  ADHD  ASD  Stress, anxiety, & depression  (CDC, 2008; Lawlor et al, 2005; Puhl et al, 2007; Nestle, 2005; O’Dea et al, 2006)

M&T usage… What is it? Online usage Other computer use IM Talk on the phone Videogame console Texting  Online games  Listen to music  Watch TV  Watch DVD’s  Technological toys  Handheld games

M&T usage and ChW  Average media usage: 6.5 Hours/day  Child BMI’s: Approximately 50% of the sample at risk for overweight or obese  Poor eating habits & low phys. activity  (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh, & Merchant, 2005).  Tobacco, drugs, & alcohol, low academic achievement, sexual behavior, & ADHD  (Nunez-Smith, Emanuel, & Gross, (2008).

WHY?  Higher levels of M&T usage will predict lower levels of ChW  Greater M&T usage will promote more unhealthy eating which will in turn further increase childhood ill- being

Basic Model Adult age Adult gender Adult education Median income Ethnicity Child age Child gender Media Usage Unhealthy Eating Ill-being

What & Who?  Online survey  380 parents of children aged 6 months - 12 years  Ethnic background  Gender & age  SES

How?  Total M&T usage, average hours/day  Typical Dietary Intake  Healthy & Unhealthy variables  Childhood Ill-being

Typical Dietary Intake  Milk  Water  Diet drinks  Regular soda  Energy drinks  Coffee drinks  Fruits/veggies  Home cooked meals  Fast food  Dairy and egg products  Seafood  Pork  Beef  Chicken/turkey  Fried foods

Childhood Ill-being  Diabetes  High/low blood pressure  Cancer  Heart disease  Allergies  Sleeping issues  Headaches  Stomach aches  Bowel issues  Limb/joint pain  Depression  Anxiety  Stress  Over/under eating  Attention issues  Antisocial behavior  Anger, violence, emotional out bursts  Sleeping issues  Number of sick days/year

Basic Model Adult age Adult gender Adult education Median income Ethnicity Child age Child gender Media Usage Unhealthy Eating Ill-being

Results Correlational analysis Media Usage Childhood Ill-being Unhealthy Eating.47***.27***.37***

Result Regressional analysis Media Usage Childhood Ill-being Unhealthy Eating.27*** NS.28***

Result Detailed Regression Adult age Adult gender Adult education Median income Ethnicity Child age Child gender Media Usage Unhealthy Eating Ill-being -.13* -.11*.54***.27***.28*** NS

Discussion  The pervasive nature of media and technology usage has a moderational effect on the relationship between eating behaviors and wellbeing, rendering it insignificant

Conclusion  Limitations  Correlational study  Self-report  Generalizability  Suggestions  Empirical studies  Accurate measurements  Focus on physical activity and medications

R ecommendations  DECREASE MEDIA USAGE  Increase physical activity  Encourage healthy eating habits, especially vegetable intake and home cooked meals  Discourage unhealthy eating habits like consuming fast foods, fried foods, soda and coffee drinks, and meat consumption.

Implications Media Usage Childhood Wellbeing

THANKS! Lynn Roxanne Joanne Steven Alex Syrah Helen Scott  WPA  George Marsh Applied Cognition Laboratory  Dr. Larry Rosen  Dr. Mark Carrier  Prof. Nancy Cheever