The Effects of Time of Watching Television and Food Advertisements on Nutritional Status of Preschool Children

Aim: Watching television for a long time affects the nutrition of children, and the effect of orientation on these foods is quickly seen in children watching food advertisements. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional status and television viewing time of children aged 3-4 and 5 years, to examine the effect of food advertisements on the nutritional status of children, and to determine how this effect impacted the nutrient intake of children. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with 215 adult parents who volunteered to collect information about children in order to determine the nutritional status and television watching time of 3-4 and 5 -year -old children studying in a kindergarten in Edirne city center and to evaluate these situations. Children's socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, food consumption frequency and food consumption records, nutrition and television watching habits were evaluated. Results: It was found that 49.8% of children watched television for 2-3 hours a day on average, and 36.7% demanded the food they saw in food advertisements 1-2 times a week. A positive and significant relationship was determined between the fact that the food advertisements on the television attracted the attention of children and the frequency of the children wanting the food they saw in the advertisements, like acidic beverages, fruit juice, chips, chocolate, wafers, sweets, biscuits and crackers (p<0.05). Daily energy intake, the percentage of carbohydrates in the food pattern, and daily sugar consumption were found to be higher in children who paid attention to food advertisements compared to those who did not (p<0.05). It was determined that the consumption of chocolate, wafer, soda and fruit juice increased as the television viewing time increased (p<0.05). Conclusion: As a result, television viewing time and food advertisements on television can be effective on children's food choices and thus their nutritional status.