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Completed

NCT Number: NCT00959309

Media Use in Preschooler Study (MUPS)

Childhood obesity is an epidemic and increasing. There are very few effective treatments for obesity in children. Recent studies have shown an association between obesity and sedentary behaviors such as television, video viewing and playing video games ('screen time') in preschool aged children. A school based intervention to reduce screen time in older children has been effective in preventing obesity.

The reduction of screen time may lead to the prevention of obesity and its complications in preschool children.

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Key information

Conditions

Obesity Body Weight Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

3 year–3 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 4

Primary location

The Hospital for Sick Children

Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada

About this study

There have been no trials examining an intervention to decrease screen time in preschool children in the physician office setting. This setting is appealing for interventions directed to preschool children because of accessibility. In addition, other public health interventions implemented in a physician office setting, such as home safety advice, have been effective.

The proposed study design will be a randomized controlled trial. The intervention group will receive the study intervention, which is a 15 minute session about the health impact of screen time in children and strategies to decrease screen time.

The objective of this study is to determine if an office based intervention is effective in decreasing screen time (television, video viewing and playing video games) in preschool children.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • registered to attend a 3 year old well child visit

Exclusion criteria

  • children with limitations in ambulation or cognitive delay will be excluded from the study.

Treatment and study plan

Strategies to decrease screen time in children

Behavioral

15 minute session about the health impact of screen time in children and strategies to decrease screen time (removing televisions from the child's bedroom, budgeting screen time, providing a contingency plan for time spent not watching TV, encouraging family meal time, and implementing a one week television turn off, where children are encouraged to spend one week without watching TV/videos). Activities for the child include reading a story about television viewing (The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV), and creating a list of non TV related activities to replace TV time. The intervention group will receive a CPS handout titled 'Promoting Good Television Habits' and a calendar with stickers for the television turn off.

Educational session on good media use (information on television rating systems, internet safety, and limiting exposure to violent programming, and the CPS handout entitled 'Managing Media in the Home')

Non-Strategical Media Education

Behavioral

Educational session on good media use (information on television rating systems, internet safety, and limiting exposure to violent programming, and the CPS handout entitled 'Managing Media in the Home')

Primary outcomes

  1. Parent reported number of hours screen time on the previous weekday and previous weekend day

    Time frame: 6 and 12 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of meals in front of the TV

    Time frame: 6 and 12 months

  2. Activity levels

    Time frame: 6 and 12 months

  3. Anthropometric measures

    Time frame: 12 months

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The Hospital for Sick Children

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Media Use in Preschooler Study (MUPS) An Office Based Intervention to Improve Media Use in Preschool Children: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2007
Primary completion
2009
Study completion
2009
First posted
Aug 14, 2009
Registry last updated
Nov 13, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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