Abstract

Young children now growing up in settings filled with a variety of technological devices. Despite the recommendation that parents should limit screen time, many young children are exposed to screens at very early ages and for a long duration of time. This study aimed to investigate the associations between the excessive technology use of young children on eating habits. A cross sectional study was conducted among 208 parents of typically-developing hail children to investigate the relationship between prolonged screen time viewing on eating habits using an online-questionnaire survey.  A translated validated questionnaire used for data collection consisted of three parts:  Children’s Eating Habits Questionnaire, Questionnaire on the Impact of Technology on Children and socio demographic questions (e.g, children’s sex, age, educational level, marital status of parents and monthly income). Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS v26) are used. Frequency distribution was the main descriptive statistics used in the analysis. Many of the children use technology (94%) and have a device (80%). 77% of the children usually use eDevices while having meals. All variables (weight and eating habits), except giving fast food as reward, are significantly associated with screen hours, since the p-values of the chi-square test are < 0.05. More precise measurement of early media exposure is needed to predict the long-term impacts of media exposure on children's eating habits.

 

Keywords

Technology, media, appetite, physical activity

 

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