Skip to main content

School-Based Television Viewing Reduction Intervention

An Evidence-Based Practice

This practice has been Archived and is no longer maintained.

Description

This school-based television reduction intervention was delivered in 18 sessions to 3rd and 4th graders over 6 months. The intervention promoted decreased television, videotape, and video game use and taught the students to become more selective television viewers. The intervention included a 10-day television turn-off, and suggested a 7-hour/week television budget. Newsletters were sent to parents encouraging their support of the intervention.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this promising practice was to reduce television, videotape, and video game use.

Results / Accomplishments

Compared to a similar control school, children receiving the television-reduction intervention had a statistically significant decrease in children's
reported television viewing (p<.001), video game use (p=.01). and meals eaten in front of the television (p=.01).

Compared with controls, children in the intervention group had statistically significant relative decreases in body mass index (p = .002), triceps skinfold thickness (p = .002), waist circumference (p=.001), and waist-to-hip ratio (p=.001).

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Stanford University School of Medicine
Primary Contact
Thomas N. Robinson, MD, MPH
Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention Stanford University School of Medicine
1000 Welch Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94304
tom.robinson@stanford.edu
http://prevention.stanford.edu/
Topics
Health / Children's Health
Health / Physical Activity
Organization(s)
Stanford University School of Medicine
Source
Journal of the American Medical Association
Date of publication
10/27/1999
Date of implementation
Sep 1996
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
San Jose
For more details
Target Audience
Children