Television viewing pattern among adolescents of Udupi district

Introduction: Television is an audio visual media and technology which serves multiple purpose of disseminating information, education and entertainment. Viewing television can cause both positive and negative effects which influences their attitude and behavior. This study investigates the pattern of usage of television and its influence on attitude and behaviour among the adolescents. Materials and Method: The study included 400 adolescents in the age group of 13 to16 years studying in selected CBSE and ICSE schools of Udupi district, Karnataka. This cross sectional survey used structured questionnaire to collect data from school children. Data analysis was done using SPSS v16.0. Results: All the 400 adolescents were viewing television and most had positive attitude towards it. With regard to television usage, majority 257 (64.2%) had moderate usage, 107 (26.8%) had low usage and 36 (9%) had severe usage. Majority had poor eating, sleeping behaviors while viewing television Conclusion: The study concluded that most of the adolescents view television and it has an influence on their attitude and behaviour. Awareness on the negative effects and health problems associated with the sedentary viewing of television need to be addressed.