Parental strategies restricting screen use among children, screen home environment, and child screen use as predictors of child body fat: A prospective parent-child study.

OBJECTIVES: This study provides an insight into associations between: (1) parental and child perceptions of parental strategies restricting screen use among children, (2) child perceptions of the presence and availability of screen-based equipment at home, (3) child sedentary screen use behaviours, and (4) child body fat.

DESIGN: A prospective study with two assessment periods (Time 1, T1; Time 2, T2), spanning 7-8 months.

METHODS: At T1, 879 parent-child dyads (83.3% mothers; 52.3% girls) were enrolled and provided parental and child (5-11 years old) self-report data. T2 data were obtained from 603 dyads. Child body fat was measured with bioimpedance method (T1 and T2). Path analysis was used to test models calculated with and without additional covariates, such as parental and child age and gender, parental education, and economic status.

RESULTS: Path analysis indicated indirect effects of the presence and availability of screen-based equipment at home (T1) on child body fat (T2), with screen use among children (T1) mediating this association. Parental perceptions of restrictions (T1) were unrelated to child body fat (T2). In contrast, child perceptions of parental restrictions (T1) predicted child body fat (T2). Children who perceived that their parents applied a higher level of restrictions (T1) had a lower body fat at the 7- to 8-month follow-up. These associations were found after controlling for baseline levels of child body fat, across models calculated with and without additional covariates.

CONCLUSIONS: Child, not parental perceptions of parental restrictions, predicted better obesity-related outcomes in children, such as lower body fat. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Little is known about effects of parental restrictions of screen use on child body fat. Evidence is mostly cross-sectional, except from a recent investigation by Sleddens, Gubbels, Kremers, van der Plas, and Thijs (). To date, effects of parental (not children's) reports of screen use restrictions were investigated. What does this study add? Children reporting more parental restrictions of screen use have less body fat at a follow-up. Parental reports of screen use restrictions are unrelated to child screen use and body fat. Frequent screen use mediate between the number of screen devices at home and higher child body fat.