Credit: cdn4.blogs.babble.com. Illustrative purpose only |
Moms, especially those who are obese, are more likely to use
TV to entertain and soothe infants who are more fussy and active, according to
researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The finding adds to the growing body of knowledge that may help explain the
escalating rate of obesity and inactivity in U.S. children, and has led to
behavioral and educational strategies that may help mothers combat these
effects.
"In the past, studies have focused on maternal factors
for obesity and TV watching, but this is the first time anyone has looked at
infant factors and the interaction between maternal and infant characteristics
in shaping TV behavior across infancy," said Amanda L. Thompson, a
biological anthropologist in the College of Arts and Sciences and first author
of the study. "And that's important," she added, "because mom
and infant behaviors are inextricably linked."
Bentley's team looked at 217 first-time, low-income black
mothers and babies from central North Carolina who were part of a five-year
study looking at obesity risk in infants. The researchers followed the mothers
and babies in their homes at 3, 6, 9 12 and 18 months of age, looking at TV
exposure, sociodemographic and infant temperament data. They asked how often
the TV was on, if a TV was in the baby's bedroom, and whether the TV was on
during meal times. Researchers also interviewed the mothers about how they
perceived their children's mood, activity levels and fussiness.
The researchers found that mothers who were obese, who watched
a lot of TV and whose child was fussy were most likely to put their infants in
front of the TV. By 12 months, nearly 40 percent of the infants were exposed to
more than 3 hours of TV daily -- a third of their waking hours. Households
where infants were perceived as active and whose mothers did not have a high
school diploma were more likely to feed their infants in front of the TV.
"Feeding infants in front of the TV can limit a mom's
responsiveness in terms of examining infant cues, such as when an infant is
telling mom he is no longer hungry," said Bentley, principal investigator
and a professor of nutrition in UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health.
"This work has helped us design intervention strategies that will help
teach moms how to soothe their babies, without overfeeding them or putting them
in front of a TV."
###
The above story is based on the January
08, 2013 news release by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The research appears in the January 6 online issue of the
journal Pediatrics:
Amanda L. Thompson, Linda S. Adair, and Margaret E. Bentley.
Maternal Characteristics and Perception of Temperament Associated With
Infant TV Exposure. Pediatrics, January 6, 2013 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2012-1224
Zestzfulness says:
Parental stress can play a role in increased fussiness among
their children. It is also possible that busy parents are more likely to plant fussy
children in front of a TV set to calm them. It is therefore appropriate to
limit TV watching of infants and limiting this to children’s programmes appropriate
for their age.
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