Study: Efforts to Reduce Screen Time Hindered by Limited Green Space

A University of Michigan study concludes that efforts to reduce children’s screen time is less effective in neighborhoods where kids have less access to green space. This study, which was published in the journal Health and Place, confirms what other national data has indicated: that green space is less common in communities that have more Hispanic and Black residents.

“These unfair differences in green space access might explain why community programs and policies are less effective in reducing screen time among different racial groups. To address screen time inequities, we need solutions that create fair, just and healthy environments for all communities,” says lead author Ian-Marshall Lang.

According to the research, about two-thirds of children aged 6-17 exceed the recommended amount of screen time each day, which is two hours. By studying the communities and neighborhoods of the participants, Lang and his colleagues were able to determine that community programs to reduce kids’ screen time do better when children have green space to play in near their homes.

Lang adds, “More intense programs were associated with lower screen time in places with plenty of green space nearby, but not places with low or moderate green space. This is important because not everyone in the United States has the same access to green space. We know there are racial and ethnic inequities in green space access in the U.S., and that those inequities are connected to population health outcomes. Our findings add to this research by showing that inequities in green space access may also affect the success of programs aimed at reducing kids’ screen time.”

Read more about this study here. For even more research about the benefits of green space on human health and the environment download TurfMutt’s International Backyarding Fact Book. Sign up for Mutt Mail, a monthly e-newsletter with backyarding tips and all the news from the TurfMutt Foundation here. Look for Mulligan the TurfMutt on the CBS Lucky Dog television show on Saturday mornings.