Factors influencing the daily television watching period among 5-8 years old children

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the reasons of watching television (TV) and the factors influencing the daily TV-watching period among 5-8 years old children in two schools.
Material and Methods: The research was conducted among prep-school, first and second class students in two schools which were in two different socioeconomic regions. Data was collected by a questionnaire including items on watching TV. 546 children participated. 
Results: The mean age was 6.9±0.8 years; the mean period of daily TV-watching was 2.7±1.4 hours.  There was a statistically significant association between the daily TV-watching periods of parents’ and children’s (respectively, r=0.398 p<0.001, r=0.354 p<0.001). The daily TV-watching period was more among girls, and among students educated in the low socioeconomic region school. Parents led their children watch TV to make them sleep (2.9%), to make them eat their meals (25.8%), to amuse/distract (51.6%), and to educate them (39.6%). The daily TV-watching period was more among the middle socioeconomic school students, and the students who watched TV for distraction.   Crowded families and parents using TV to eat their children had started them TV watching at younger age. The ones laying (38.1%), playing (29.9%) and eating something (15.9%) when watching TV, and the ones who had a TV in their rooms (18.3%) had longer watching periods.   The students who had working mothers, highly educated parents, high socioeconomic status, and who were led to play outside the house had started TV watching at older age than the others. The period was shorter among the students who had computers in their houses.
Conclusion: The TV-watching period, the education level, and socioeconomic status of parents, the reasons of watching TV and the activities done when watching TV were found to be the influencing factors on the watching period.