Watching television in free time by school-aged youth in Central Slovakia

The aim of this study is to explore the television watching habits on weekdays and on weekends of school-aged youth in Central Slovakia. The data were collected in 25 elementary schools and two eight-year high schools in the Žilina and Banská Bystrica regions from May to June 2010. The group of respondents consisted of 1187 pupils in three age categories: 11-year-olds (313 respondents), 13-year-olds (442 respondents) and 15-year-olds (432 respondents). The standardized questionnaire created for the requirements of the Health Behaviour in School Aged Children (HBSC) study was used for the collection of the data, which also contained demographic data such as gender, grade, and age. The significant interaction of two variables was evaluated using the chi-quadrat test. One-third or fewer respondents in the monitored group spent 2 h of their free time on weekdays and on weekends watching television. Most frequently, 11-year-old and 13-year-old boys (26%) spent their free time on weekdays viewing television for 2 h. The differences between the age groups were statistically significant (p = 0.012). On weekend days 25% of 13-year-old boys spent their leisure time viewing television for 3 h. The differences between the age groups were statistically significant (p = 0.018). An increased number of hours spent watching television has a negative impact on the health of children and young people, contributes to physical inactivity and decreased school performance, and leads to a sedentary lifestyle. An appropriate use of free time plays an important role in the daily regime of schoolchildren.