Television Use and Snacking Behaviors Among Children and Adolescents in China

Parvanta, Sarah A.; Brown, Jane D.; Du, Shufa; Zimmer, Catherine R.; Zhao, Xinshu; Zhai, Fengying

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.08.002

« Previous Next »Journal of Adolescent Health
Volume 46, Issue 4 , Pages 339-345, April 2010

Television Use and Snacking Behaviors Among Children and Adolescents in China

Sarah A. Parvanta, M.P.H.
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Address correspondence to: Sarah A. Parvanta, M.P.H., The Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, 3620 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6220.
Jane D. Brown, Ph.D.
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Shufa Du, Ph.D.
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Catherine R. Zimmer, Ph.D.
- The Odum Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Xinshu Zhao, Ph.D.
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Fengying Zhai, M.D.
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

Received 3 January 2009; accepted 5 August 2009. published online 12 October 2009.

Abstract

Purpose

Television (TV) use has been linked with poor eating behaviors and obesity in young people. This study examines the association between TV watching and paying attention to TV commercials with buying and requesting snacks seen on commercials, and eating snacks while watching TV among youth in China.

Methods

Data from 1,552 participants (ages 6–17.99) in the 2004 China Health and Nutrition Survey were analyzed cross-sectionally. The 2004 China Health and Nutrition Survey was conducted in nine Chinese provinces.

Results

Most respondents (92.2%) reported watching TV; on average children (6–11.99 years old) and adolescents (12–17.99 years old) watched TV for 9–10 hours per week. Nearly half (42.9%) of all the respondents said they “sometimes” or “often” paid attention to TV commercials. Respondents who reported paying attention to commercials had higher odds of requesting snacks (odds ratio [OR] = 3.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.55–4.60) and buying snacks (OR = 2.73; 95% CI = 2.17–3.43) seen on TV, and eating snacks while watching TV (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.23–2.07) than those who did not pay attention. However, frequency of watching TV was not significantly related to snacking.