Associations Between Parental Employment and Children’s Screen Time: A Longitudinal Study of China Health and Nutrition Survey
Objectives: Parents are often torn between their parenting roles in the family and working roles at the workplace. This study focused on the associations of parental employment with children’s screen time (ST) on weekdays, weekends, and during the entire week.Methods: Unbalanced panel data including...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1605372/full |
| _version_ | 1828068311118643200 |
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| author | Qian-Wen Xie Qian-Wen Xie Qian-Wen Xie Qian-Wen Xie Xiangyan Luo Roujia Chen Xudong Zhou Xudong Zhou |
| author_facet | Qian-Wen Xie Qian-Wen Xie Qian-Wen Xie Qian-Wen Xie Xiangyan Luo Roujia Chen Xudong Zhou Xudong Zhou |
| author_sort | Qian-Wen Xie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: Parents are often torn between their parenting roles in the family and working roles at the workplace. This study focused on the associations of parental employment with children’s screen time (ST) on weekdays, weekends, and during the entire week.Methods: Unbalanced panel data including 2,977 children (aged 0–17 years) from five waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey data from 2004 to 2015 were utilized. Two-way fixed effects models were fitted to examine the associations of parental employment status, working hours, and overwork with children’s ST.Results: Compared to unemployment status, maternal formal employment positively predicted children’s ST on both weekdays and weekends, while maternal informal employment was associated with increased children’s ST on weekends. The more hours they worked, the more time their children spent using screens. Neither employment status nor the overwork of fathers was significant.Conclusion: Parental employment, especially maternal employment, was linked with the ST of children. More childcare-friendly labor policies are needed to promote healthy lifestyles among the next generation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T00:00:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-25af2cd0ec9a4917a3cdd455a5adaa7c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-8564 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T00:00:49Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-25af2cd0ec9a4917a3cdd455a5adaa7c2023-01-10T04:11:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.International Journal of Public Health1661-85642023-01-016710.3389/ijph.2022.16053721605372Associations Between Parental Employment and Children’s Screen Time: A Longitudinal Study of China Health and Nutrition SurveyQian-Wen Xie0Qian-Wen Xie1Qian-Wen Xie2Qian-Wen Xie3Xiangyan Luo4Roujia Chen5Xudong Zhou6Xudong Zhou7Department of Social Welfare and Risk Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, ChinaCenter of Social Welfare and Governance, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, ChinaInstitute for Common Prosperity and Development, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, ChinaFuture Regional Development Laboratory, Research Center for Common Prosperity, Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing, ChinaDepartment of Social Welfare and Risk Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Social Welfare and Risk Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, ChinaThe Institute of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, ChinaObjectives: Parents are often torn between their parenting roles in the family and working roles at the workplace. This study focused on the associations of parental employment with children’s screen time (ST) on weekdays, weekends, and during the entire week.Methods: Unbalanced panel data including 2,977 children (aged 0–17 years) from five waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey data from 2004 to 2015 were utilized. Two-way fixed effects models were fitted to examine the associations of parental employment status, working hours, and overwork with children’s ST.Results: Compared to unemployment status, maternal formal employment positively predicted children’s ST on both weekdays and weekends, while maternal informal employment was associated with increased children’s ST on weekends. The more hours they worked, the more time their children spent using screens. Neither employment status nor the overwork of fathers was significant.Conclusion: Parental employment, especially maternal employment, was linked with the ST of children. More childcare-friendly labor policies are needed to promote healthy lifestyles among the next generation.https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1605372/fullchildrenscreen timeworking hoursparental employmentinformal employmentoverwork |
| spellingShingle | Qian-Wen Xie Qian-Wen Xie Qian-Wen Xie Qian-Wen Xie Xiangyan Luo Roujia Chen Xudong Zhou Xudong Zhou Associations Between Parental Employment and Children’s Screen Time: A Longitudinal Study of China Health and Nutrition Survey International Journal of Public Health children screen time working hours parental employment informal employment overwork |
| title | Associations Between Parental Employment and Children’s Screen Time: A Longitudinal Study of China Health and Nutrition Survey |
| title_full | Associations Between Parental Employment and Children’s Screen Time: A Longitudinal Study of China Health and Nutrition Survey |
| title_fullStr | Associations Between Parental Employment and Children’s Screen Time: A Longitudinal Study of China Health and Nutrition Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Associations Between Parental Employment and Children’s Screen Time: A Longitudinal Study of China Health and Nutrition Survey |
| title_short | Associations Between Parental Employment and Children’s Screen Time: A Longitudinal Study of China Health and Nutrition Survey |
| title_sort | associations between parental employment and children s screen time a longitudinal study of china health and nutrition survey |
| topic | children screen time working hours parental employment informal employment overwork |
| url | https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1605372/full |
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