Teaching pediatric residents the effects of media on health

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Author:

Bickham, David S.; Lertzman, Carolyn S.; Rich, Michael

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Year:

2008

Article Title:

Teaching pediatric residents the effects of media on health

Journal:

Journal of Adolescent Health

Volume:

Edition:

2, Supplement 1

Issue:

Pages:

ISBN/ISSN:

1054-139X

Source of Funding:

Funding Source Not Stated in Paper

Study Design:

Descriptive/Historical

Publication Type:

Abstract

Age Group:

URL:

Abstract:

Objective: To examine the changes in pediatric-resident education regarding the affects of media on child and adolescent health.

Design: Correlational study. Researchers compared surveys administered in 2001 and 2007 and performed chi-square analyses. Program directors of the pediatric residencies completed the surveys over the Internet.

Subjects and Setting: N=198 U.S. accredited pediatric programs offering residencies. Two programs did not respond to the survey. First survey was administered in 2001; second survey was administered in 2007.

Interventions: N/A

Outcome Measures: Availability of training including lectures and informal discussions about the effects of media exposure (television, computer and video games, Internet use, movies, and popular music) on child and adolescent health, including specific issues such as weight control, eating disorders, and tobacco use.

Results: The percentage of programs offering formal lectures about the health impact of media exposure increased significantly between 2001 and 2007 (28.4% and 51.5% respectively, p<.001). Lectures on computer use/video games increased from coverage in 7.4% of programs in 2001 to 30.3% in 2007 (p<.01), and lectures on Internet use increased from 6.4% to 27.3% (p<.001) within the study's time frame. Approximately 71% of programs that did not offer formal lectures reported having informal discussions about media and child/adolescent health, an increase from 51.4% in the 2001 survey (p<.01). The three categories of health issues that had the most significant coverage increases between 2001 and 2007 were overweight populations, eating disorders, and tobacco use, all significant at p<.001. Researchers found no association in either study year between the specific characteristics of the residency program and media education.

Conclusions: Researchers suggest that the significant increases in coverage of media and child and adolescent health-related issues in pediatric training programs indicate that current research is being effectively integrated into real-life training. � Center on Media and Child Health

Keywords:

Computers
Education
Health
Health Education
Internet
Learning
Medicine
Motion Pictures
Music
Pediatrics
Television