TV in bedroom, outdoor playtime and obesity status among preschool girls

Summary Background Time in which children is engaged in screen time such as TV viewing is a serious health problem and might reduce the use of the time for other potential activities such as play outside or being engaged in physical activity. In addition, it was suggested that children's screen time increases with age and patterns begin in preschool years. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the association between obesity status and weight-related room environment (TV at room) and play outside in preschool girls. Materials and method This study included 120 preschool girls (4–6 years old). Data were collected through parents’ questionnaire about (yes/no) children have TV in bedroom and the perception of playing outside. Multivariate regression was used to determine the association between BMI and play outside with TV in the bedroom. Results Girls either classified as overweight (OR: 2.6; CI: 1.1–6.0; P  ≤ 0.034) or obese (OR: 4.0; CI: 1.2–13.2; P  ≤ 0.02) were more likely to have TV in room compared to their lean peers. Girls whose parents reported less outdoor play ( P  = 0.08). Conclusions Our data suggested that having TV in bed room is associated with increased level of obesity even in preschool girls as well as showed a marginal association with playing outside.