Parental cultural attitudes and beliefs affects Children's TV Media Habits

Wanjiku F. M. Njoroge

Differences in parental beliefs and attitudes regarding the effects of media on early childhood development may help explain increasing racial/ethnic disparities in child media viewing/habits, according to a study by Wanjiku F. M. Njoroge, M.D., of Seattle Children's Hospital and the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues.

A total of 596 parents of children ages 3 to 5 years completed demographic questionnaires, reported on attitudes regarding media's risks and benefits to their children, and completed one-week media diaries in which they recorded all of the programs their children watched.

According to study results, children watched an average of 462.0 minutes of TV per week, with African American children watching more TV/DVDs per week than did children of other racial/ethnic backgrounds.

The relationship between child race/ethnicity and average weekly media time was no longer statistically significant after controlling for socioeconomic status (parental educational attainment and reported annual family income), indicating that the observed relationship between race/ethnicity and media time was significantly confounded by socioeconomic status (SES).

Significant differences were found between parents of ethnically/racially diverse children and parents of non-Hispanic white children regarding the perceived positive effects of TV viewing, even when parental education and family income were taken into account.

"These findings point to an important relationship between parental attitudes/beliefs about child media use and time that could be useful for intervention work."

The study concludes,

"Because of the strong relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and media exposure in our sample, future research with larger samples of children from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds is warranted to better understand the complexities of race/ethnicity, family SES, and parental beliefs and attitudes on child media exposure." 

More information: JAMA Pediatr. Published online June 17, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.75

Parental child abductions 'rise by 88% in a decade'

The number of children abducted and taken abroad by an estranged parent has risen by 88% in just under a decade, according to new government figures.

About 270 new cases were reported in 2003-4, while this year so far there have been more than 500 new cases, data from the Foreign Office (FCO) showed.

It is illegal for a parent to take a child overseas without permission from others with parental responsibility.

But 24% of Britons are unaware it is a crime, separate FCO research suggested.

The FCO has launched a campaign to highlight the issue.

"We know that before or during school holidays is one of the most common times for a child to be abducted," said Daisy Organ, the head of the FCO's child abduction section.

'Think twice'

"We hope that this campaign will help inform and educate the UK public and encourage parents thinking of abducting their child to think twice before they cause significant distress to themselves and their family."

Alison Shalaby, chief executive of the charity Reunite, said: "It is important to remember that parental child abduction is not faith or country specific - 71% of the UK public thought that parents most commonly abduct their children to the Middle East, India and Pakistan but it can happen to anyone, from any background."

She said children had been abducted by a parent and taken to France, Australia, Thailand and many other countries, some of which had few processes in place for returning such children.

Between 2001 and 2011 there was a 206% increase in the number of children taken to a country which had not ratified the Hague Convention on child abduction, an international agreement between certain countries which aims to ensure the return of a child who has been abducted by a parent.

According to the FCO research, 74% of people thought fathers were most likely to abduct their children but statistics from Reunite International suggest 70% of their cases concern mothers taking the child.