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Modifying media content for preschool children: a randomized controlled trial.
- Source :
-
Pediatrics [Pediatrics] 2013 Mar; Vol. 131 (3), pp. 431-8. Date of Electronic Publication: 2013 Feb 18. - Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Background: Although previous studies have revealed that preschool-aged children imitate both aggression and prosocial behaviors on screen, there have been few population-based studies designed to reduce aggression in preschool-aged children by modifying what they watch.<br />Methods: We devised a media diet intervention wherein parents were assisted in substituting high quality prosocial and educational programming for aggression-laden programming without trying to reduce total screen time. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of 565 parents of preschool-aged children ages 3 to 5 years recruited from community pediatric practices. Outcomes were derived from the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation at 6 and 12 months.<br />Results: At 6 months, the overall mean Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation score was 2.11 points better (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78-3.44) in the intervention group as compared with the controls, and similar effects were observed for the externalizing subscale (0.68 [95% CI: 0.06-1.30]) and the social competence subscale (1.04 [95% CI: 0.34-1.74]). The effect for the internalizing subscale was in a positive direction but was not statistically significant (0.42 [95% CI: -0.14 to 0.99]). Although the effect sizes did not noticeably decay at 12 months, the effect on the externalizing subscale was no longer statistically significant (P = .05). In a stratified analysis of the effect on the overall scores, low-income boys appeared to derive the greatest benefit (6.48 [95% CI: 1.60-11.37]).<br />Conclusions: An intervention to reduce exposure to screen violence and increase exposure to prosocial programming can positively impact child behavior.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1098-4275
- Volume :
- 131
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Pediatrics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 23420911
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-1493