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‘Life in the age of screens’: parent perspectives on a 24‐h no screen‐time challenge
Author(s) -
Peláez Sandra,
Alexander Stephanie,
Roberge JeanBaptiste,
Henderson Melanie,
Bigras JeanLuc,
Barnett Tracie A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
clinical obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1758-8111
pISSN - 1758-8103
DOI - 10.1111/cob.12150
Subject(s) - temptation , screen time , medicine , time limit , intervention (counseling) , schedule , phone , focus group , medical education , nursing , obesity , social psychology , psychology , computer science , linguistics , philosophy , systems engineering , marketing , engineering , business , operating system
Summary Screens have become ubiquitous in modern society. Their use frequently underlies sedentary behaviour, a well‐established determinant of obesity. As part of a family oriented clinic offering a 2‐year lifestyle program for obese children and youth, we explored parents’ experiences with a 24‐h no screen‐time challenge, an intervention designed to raise awareness of screen‐time habits and to help families develop strategies to limit their use. In total, 15 parents representing 13 families participated. A focus group with nine parents and six phone interviews with those who could not join in person were conducted. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed qualitatively. Key elements to successful completion of the 24‐h no screen‐time challenge emerged, namely: clear rules about permitted activities during the 24‐h period; togetherness , i.e. involving all family members in the challenge; and busyness, i.e. planning a full schedule in order to avoid idleness and preclude the temptation to use screens. Our findings suggest that practitioners aiming to increase awareness of screen‐time or to limit their use may be more likely to succeed if they include all family members, offer concrete alternatives to screen‐based activities and provide tailored strategies to manage discretionary time.