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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Reneé Boynton-Jarrett, BS1, Tracy Thomas, MPH2, Karen Peterson, ScD, RD3, Jean L. Wiecha, PhD1, and Steven Gortmaker, PhD4. (1) Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, 617-432-1029, rboynton@hsph.harvard.edu, (2) Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, (3) Department of Maternal and Child Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, (4) Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02115
Background: National data indicate that children and youth do not meet Healthy People 2010 objectives for fruit and vegetable intake. Television viewing is hypothesized as a contributing factor because of its documented role in encouraging consumption of highly advertised foods that may lead to the replacement of fruits and vegetables. Methods: A sample of 548 ethnically diverse students (average age 11.7 ± 0.8 years) from public schools in four Massachusetts communities were studied prospectively over a 21 month period from Fall of 1995 to Spring 1997. We examined the associations between baseline and change in hours of television and video viewing per day (the predictor variables) and change in energy-adjusted intake of fruits and vegetables, using linear regression analyses controlling for potentially confounding variables and the clustering of observations within schools. Findings: For each additional hour of television viewed per day, fruit and vegetable servings per day decreased (-0.14; P=0.005), after adjustment for anthropometric, demographic, dietary and physical activity variables. Baseline hours of television viewed per day was also independently associated with change in fruit and vegetable servings (-0.16; P=0.004). Interpretation: Television viewing is inversely associated with intake of fruit and vegetables by children. These associations may be a result of the replacement of fruits and vegetables in youths' diets by foods highly advertised on television.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescents, Media
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.