175 - Screen-related Beliefs and Parenting Practices of Low-income Mexican American Parents of Toddlers

Poster Number: 175
Publication Number: 175.316

Darcy Thompson, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States; Andrea Jimenez-Zambrano, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States; Haley Ringwood, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, United States; jeanne M. Tschann, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, United States; Lauren Clark, School of Nursing, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Background: Little is known about screen-related beliefs and parenting practices among parents of toddlers, particularly Mexican American parents. Research findings could inform interventions promoting healthy screen use in this age group.

Objective: To describe screen-related beliefs and parenting practices in low-income Mexican American mothers and fathers of toddlers and to explore differences by parent gender and language spoken.

Design/Methods: Based on principles of focused ethnography, this study employed in-depth, in-home interviews with a purposeful sample of low-income Mexican American Spanish-speaking mothers (n=11), English-speaking mothers (n=11), and fathers (n=10; English- or Spanish-speaking) of toddlers (15-26 months old) recruited from a safety net clinic. Interviews focused on day-to-day screen use management of the top 2 screen devices their toddler uses. Transcripts were analyzed for beliefs and parenting practices with attention to screen device types and parental grouping (Spanish-speaking mothers, English-speaking mothers, fathers) to identify possible differences.

Results: Participant average age was 29 yrs old, and 75% (n=24) had ≤ a high school degree. Parents mainly focused on television (TV) and smartphones. Screen-related beliefs encompassed perceptions of positive and negative outcomes related to screen content, amount of use, and context of use. Major child outcomes reported included entertainment, development, behavior, eyesight, and dependence on technology. Beliefs specific to smartphones included the benefit of learning to use technology, along with a high concern about sudden unexpected exposure to inappropriate content and a risk for dependence. A belief regarding the benefit of being together was reported with co-using TV. Screen-related parenting practices covered methods for management of time, content, and context of screen use. Screen device specific practices existed. Smartphones were typically used for behavior management and were viewed as requiring very close content management. TV was used to accompany child playtime. There were no major differences in beliefs or parenting practices across parental groupings.Conclusion(s): Findings provide new information on parental screen-related beliefs and parenting practices in Mexican American parents of toddlers that have implications for the design of interventions aiming to promote healthy screen use in this age group. Interventionists may consider tailoring based on beliefs and practices specific to different devices.