Runtime
09-15-2019 – 09-14-2023

Supported by
Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (G-BA), Berlin

Abstract

Media use behavior and media literacy are important factors influencing the health status of children and adolescents. This also applies with regard to obesity and overweight in childhood and adolescence. This research project focuses on the aspects of media use that have proven to be problematic in relation to overweight and obesity. This includes daily screen time, device availability in the childen’s bedroom, media use while eating and exposure to food marketing. In addition, different educational styles of parents are examined in relation to children's media use behavior. Such media-related educational styles can vary across a broad spectrum: Parents can pursue a passive, non-interventional educational style, they can follow a restrictive educational style that limits contact times and the content of media use, or they can cultivate an active educational style that accompanies children's media use in the sense of systematic co-viewing. In line with the basic methodological orientation of the project, surveys of children, adolescents as well as their parents will be conducted in order to clarify three central contexts: (1) Problem definitions: What do parents and children know about the relationship between media use and obesity? (2) Strategies: How do they behave against the backdrop of these problem definitions? (3) What are the consequences of their actions and the actions of relevant others?