Media Socialization of Children on Eating Habits: A Study of How Television Content Nourish Their Lives

Abstract

Sri Lankan mass media from time to time have published reports that many school children in cities are overweight or obese. How serious is the problem? Is Television viewing the most probable cause for health problems connected with children? The aim of this research was to investigate the association between assumed risk factors and Body Mass Index (BMI) in children in urban schools in Sri Lanka. Specifically, the study attempts to identify the relationship between television viewing, fast foods, physical activity, and vegetable consumption in relation to BMI. Using a multiple cluster sample, out of nine provinces of Sri Lanka six provinces were purposely chosen for this study representing urban and semi-urban districts. This study was conducted through a mix approach including all ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. Our findings indicate that in both groups (male and female) there was a positive association between television viewing and BMI and there was evidence that the more television was watched the higher the BMI. We found that physical activity in both groups was negatively associated with BMI, although the effect size was small. In both groups eating vegetables (+nuts) were associated with a lower BMI, and there was a dose-effect. In girls eating fast food was positively associated with BMI, but in boys was negatively associated with BMI.