Children and their television watching habits. A comparative study in rural and urban environments. Considerations on the effects
Morán-Vázquez, J.O.; Alatorre-Montoya, L.E.; García-Pérez, J.; Guillén-Baumgarten, N.; Novoa-Menchaca, A.
Boletin Medico del Hospital Infantil de Mexico 47(5): 332-335
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0539-6115 PMID: 2390187 Document Number: 364287
In order to establish differences among television watching habits, surveys were conducted in a group of 80 children; 40 from rural areas and another 40 from the urban area, who were attending elementary school at the time. The children were randomly selected; their responses were compared to a national and local listing of television programs, excluding those which were contradictory. Both groups of children spent the same amount of time at school (P = Not significant) while the urban group spent an average of 3.5 hours watching television and the rural group spent 2.3 hours (P = 0.001). Thirty percent of the children from the urban area watched TV with an adult while those from the rural zone were accompanied in 32% (P:NS). The number of television sets per home was significantly greater in the urban areas (P = 0.001). All of the children watched programs which were transmitted after 9 p.m. Both groups chose unneeded food commercials as their favorite programs (P = Not significant).