Maternal factors and one-year-olds’ screen time: A cross-sectional study using birth cohort data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS)

Abstract

Japanese studies have reported that one-year-olds have the longest media exposure among preschoolers. This cross-sectional study assesses associations between the screen time of 12–17-month-old children and their mothers’ characteristics. Using data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), we analyzed 86, 938 singletons whose primary caregivers were their mothers. Screen time was defined as time that mothers allowed their children to watch TV, DVDs, and/or other media, categorized into two groups, “less-than-4-hours” and “4-hours-or-more per day.” The independent variables were children’s sex, mothers’ age, educational attainment, media usage, employment status, frequency of outings, and the existence of caregivers other than the mother. We considered additional factors including scores on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale ;(K6) and Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale, Japanese version (MIBS-J). Ninety percent of one-year-olds viewed media content. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that the mother’s media usage was the strongest predictor that a one-year-old would have long screen time (>4 hours/day). A mother’s higher educational attainment and employment status predicted a decreased likelihood of a child’s long screen time. MIBS-J (anger and rejection and impaired bonding) showed very a slight association, and the child’s sex, mother’s age, and K6 had no association with the child’s screen-time.