TV watching and computer use in U.S. youth aged 12-15, 2012

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey, 2012. Nearly all (98.5%) youth aged 12-15 reported watching TV daily. More than 9 in 10 (91.1%) youth aged 12-15 reported using the computer daily outside of school. In 2012, 27.0% o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNCHS data brief no. 157; p. 1
Main Authors Herrick, Kirsten A, Fakhouri, Tala Hi, Carlson, Susan A, Fulton, Janet E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.07.2014
Subjects
Adolescent
African Americans
Body Weight
Child
Computers - utilization
European Continental Ancestry Group
Female
Health Surveys
Hispanic Americans
Humans
Male
Sex Factors
Television - utilization
United States
United States
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Summary:Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey, 2012. Nearly all (98.5%) youth aged 12-15 reported watching TV daily. More than 9 in 10 (91.1%) youth aged 12-15 reported using the computer daily outside of school. In 2012, 27.0% of youth aged 12-15 had 2 hours or less of TV plus computer use daily. Among youth aged 12-15, girls (80.4%) were more likely to use the computer 2 hours or less daily when compared with boys (69.4%). Fewer non-Hispanic black youth aged 12-15 (53.4%) reported watching 2 hours or less of TV daily than non-Hispanic white (65.8%) and Hispanic (68.7%) youth. Excessive screen-time behaviors, such as using a computer and watching TV, for more than 2 hours daily have been linked with elevated blood pressure, elevated serum cholesterol, and being overweight or obese among youth (1-3). Additionally, screen-time behavior established in adolescence has been shown to track into adulthood (4). The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-supported Expert Panel and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that children limit leisure screen time to 2 hours or less daily (5,6). This report presents national estimates of TV watching and computer use outside of the school day.
ISSN:1941-4927