For better comparability, the distributions are presented separately for boys and girls, for two age groups to year-olds and to year-olds and for the three SES groups low, middle, and high. The results of the statistical analyses on the associations between leisure activities and gender, SES and age are listed in Table 2. As can be seen in Table 1 , more than half of all participants reported using at least one type of media more than two hours a day.
In the total sample, almost one half of the participating children reported being physically active at least three times a week in clubs or non-organized settings and claimed to be active outdoors at least three times a week. However, the difference between boys and girls was very large. Each type of media was used more extensively by participants with a lower SES. Changes over time described as associations between leisure activities and date of assessment are shown in Table 3.
Effects plot illustrating the estimated changes over time — described as association between mobile phone use and date of assessment. All associations are adjusted for age, gender and socio-economic status SES.
The results of the logistic regression analysis for associations of total screen time and total physical activity with other leisure activities are presented in Table 4. All associations are adjusted for age, gender, socio-economic status SES.
The usage of the most types of screen-based media, on the other hand, was negatively associated with total physical activity. The present study examined leisure activities of children and adolescents from the ages of 10 to 18 years. First, the distribution of leisure activities and differences between gender, age groups and social class among healthy children were considered.
Furthermore, time trends of leisure activities were explored and associations of total screen time and total physical activity with other leisure activities were assessed. Overall, the media use of the participating children was high. More than one half exceeded the recommendation of a daily media use of less than two hours a day with just one type of media [ 8 , 9 ].
However, meeting friends, physical and outdoor activity also represent popular leisure behaviors. Approximately half of the participants claimed to be physically active and to play outside a minimum of three times a week. The frequency of meeting friends at least often was even higher.
While older children and adolescents used screen-based media more frequently, they were also less physically active. This finding is in line with other studies [ 12 , 17 , 18 ]. As already reported in other studies [ 12 , 13 , 16 , 35 ], children and adolescents from families with lower SES used screen-based media more often and were physically less active than children from higher social classes.
In contrast, a nationwide survey on the leisure behavior of German children and adolescents showed that children with lower SES met their friends more often [ 22 ]. This discrepancy suggests that the relationship between SES and social life is far from being understood. Methodological differences between studies might also play a role. In the nationwide survey [ 22 ], SES was indicated by school type, not by the education or income of parents.
With respect to gender differences, girls used mobile phones more often, while boys played more console games. This is comparable to previous findings [ 7 , 11 ]. Furthermore, boys were more physically active than girls. These results correspond to the current state of research [ 13 , 16 ]. With respect to social life meeting friends , no essential difference between girls and boys could be shown. This finding is not in line with other previous studies in which boys were more likely to go out with friends [ 22 ].
This result is not in line with the findings of a nationwide survey in which boys were more likely to go out with friends than girls [ 22 ]. However, in the survey, only descriptive results were presented, with no verification by statistical analyses.
Overall, the results underline the need to inform families and schools about the importance of limiting media usage times and promoting physical activity, especially in older children, girls, and children from lower social strata. The data showed that the use of mobile phones increased drastically between and , whereas there was no significant difference in the usage of the other types of screen-based media. This is only partly in line with previous studies showing a general increase of media use [ 6 , 7 ], especially mobile media use including mobile phones but also computers , but a decline of television [ 5 ].
These differences can be explained in part by the way the answer categories were summed up and by the period of time the data was collected. The studies mentioned were carried out several years ago when the newer media did not yet play a major role. Physical activity did not change significantly in the years from to This is consistent with previous findings [ 5 , 15 ].
Moreover, outdoor activity and social life meeting friends have remained almost unchanged. These results show an alarming development with an increase in the importance of the newer media, especially the use of mobile phones, but a decline of leisure activities related to arts and music. Participants with higher screen times especially regarding TV and using games consoles were physically active and played outdoors less frequently than children with lower screen times.
This is in good agreement with some previous studies [ 23 , 24 , 26 ], but contradicts other studies which did not find any associations between media use and physical activity [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Our results suggest that high media usage might displace more active leisure behavior and hinder children from spending time outdoors.
Furthermore, our results suggest that male computer users show a higher risk to neglect active behaviors than female computer users. In contrast to screen time, physical activity was positively associated with playing outdoors. This association might be explained by the fact that sports might represent an outdoor activity. Furthermore, physically active boys but not girls could be shown to meet their friends more frequently than less active boys. Boys might meet their friends with the purpose of doing sports together.
This assumption is in line with a previous study showing that children within a peer group of physically active friends are also more active themselves [ 28 ]. This suggests that media use and physical activity do not distract leisure activities related to music and arts. However, we did not assess the frequency of these activities.
This could further explain the independence of behavior that is performed in a more self-determined way media use or physical activity. The strengths of the present studies are the large sample size and the variety of leisure behaviors considered. Nonetheless, some limitations have to be noticed. This study did not differentiate between leisure activities performed on weekdays vs.
Children have more free time during weekends than during weekdays, and the distribution of leisure activities might differ. In addition, our questionnaires interrogated about physical activity per week. For better comparability with the literature and the recommendation of the World Health Organization WHO it would be better to consider the daily physical activity [ 36 ] and to distinguish between different forms of physical activity moderate, vigorous etc.
Finally, the data were based on self-reports. However, young children e. The present study underlines the increasing importance of screen-based media in the lives of children and adolescents and suggests that a high media use may displace more active leisure behaviors. The use of mobile phones by girls and the generally high media use of children from lower social strata, who are also significantly less physically active, are particularly worth mentioning.
Since the overall use of mobile phones has also increased drastically between and , it is important to continue monitoring this development. The study findings, furthermore, indicate a decline in leisure activities related to arts and music. In contrast, social contacts and physical activity remained unchanged and could be shown to interact positively. The findings imply that health-conscious behavior sufficient physical and outdoor activity, limited screen times should be promoted at an early stage of child development in order to avoid the creeping in of harmful habits with consequences on leisure activities in adulthood.
Furthermore, the authors show their appreciation to Julia Hofmann B. English studies for proof reading the manuscript. Conceptualization, L. The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Published online Jun Find articles by Lea Auhuber.
Find articles by Nico Grafe. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Received May 23; Accepted Jun 9. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Hands-on learning.
By including them in a variety of recreational activities, they can learn how to play, which leads to reason number three. Finding their preference. Only after learning about a sport or an activity can a person truly decide if they like it or not.
It can be difficult for some children to make friends. Recreation provides a common activity that can start friendships and maintain them through a shared interest or hobby. Less-structured time in children's daily lives predicts self-directed executive functioning. Front Psychol. American Psychological Association.
How to help children and teens manage their stress. October 24, Ode to positive constructive daydreaming. Helliwell JF, Wang S. How was the weekend? How the social context underlies weekend effects in happiness and other emotions for US workers. PLoS One. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFamily. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.
We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Time Management Skills for Kids.
Parent's Guide to Navigating the Tween Years. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Related Articles. The 10 Best Kids Deodorant of
0コメント