The effects of pediatric primary prevention programs on screen-time and reading habits of children in Jordan

Abstract

The proliferation of electronic content and limited exposure of children to books in Jordan has made both parents and health-care providers more concerned about healthy child development. This research aimed to determine if pediatric primary prevention programs were helpful in reducing screen-time and improving reading habits of children in Jordan, and if there was a correlation between these two factors. Parents attended classes on various topics, one of which dealt with screen-time and reading. Six months later, they were surveyed on these topics. The test group (took the relevant class) and control group (did not take the class) included 30 families each. The mean screen-time was above the recommended guideline of 2 h/day in both groups. Only 37% of the families in the test group, and 17% in the control group followed the guideline. A significant difference in screen-time between the groups was found only during weekends. When asked about the ideal screen-time, parents from the test group reported screen-times that were significantly closer to the recommendations, showing an increase in knowledge, but not a significant change in behavior. Parents, also, believed that children’s exposure to books should be at the much later age of 3–4 years, with actual exposure being < 1 h/day. Moreover, no correlation was found between screen-time and reading time. These findings suggest that short, evidence-based classes helped raise awareness, but were not sufficient for parents to fully adopt the guidelines. Programs that promote behavior modification should be explored to reinforce knowledge gained from educational classes.

Effect of family and peer tutoring programs on reading comprehension skills

“…These interactions and various strategies make it more optimal to improve students' reading comprehension skills. The peer tutoring program that provides prior training to family members makes family members confident and have sufficient reading teaching skills to improve students' reading comprehension skills (Kotzer et al, 2021;Yousuf et al, 2021). Families who follow the program's instructions have been shown to improve students' reading ability and academic achievement.…”

The Role of Metacognition (Metacomprehension) and Inferential Ability on Reading Comprehension Ability

“…Therefore, students who get a lot of conclusions from the results of reading the text can estimate their level of understanding based on their ability to make conclusions. However, readers who are not able to make a lot of conclusions (less reading skills) assess their level of understanding at different levels (Hayashi et al, 2018;Yousuf et al, 2021; ). Metacomprehension is done so that students are aware of their own level of understanding.…”

“…So, the researcher can conclude that, to measure the level of reading comprehension ability, it must include the components of the text as well as the relationship between these components. When comprehension assessments focus on a specific material, the relationship between prediction and performance decreases (Ness, 2011;Yousuf et al, 2021). Metacomprehension can also be affected by the length of the text.…”

Stop and Play Digital Health Education Intervention for Reducing Excessive Screen Time Among Preschoolers From Low Socioeconomic Families: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

“…In this study, the mother's knowledge scores were significantly increased in the intervention group, indicating the importance of improving knowledge in interventions that aim for behavior change. However, improved knowledge alone is insufficient to produce screen time behavior change [43].…”