85%. Youth in 7–12th grades spent 1:35 per day sending–receiving text messages
in 2009. Overall, boys spent more time with media than girls (11:12 vs. 10:17);
time spent with video games accounted for most of the sex difference. Consistent
with other observations, time spent in physical activity daily (h:min) was not
associated with media use: heavy users 1:59, moderate users 1:43, and light users
1:44.
Systematic studies of time use by children conducted in 1981, 1997, and 2003
provide insights into specific activities which have implications for physically
active and sedentary behaviors (Hofferth 2009 ; Hofferth and Sandberg2001a,b).
Data are derived from time use diaries, which provide a reasonably accurate
account of what is happening in the daily lives of children and youth (Harding
1997 ). A major portion of daily time is non-discretionary, i.e., reasonably set: time
for sleeping, personal care and eating, and time in day care and school; the
remainder is discretionary, i.e., selective and optional: chores, study, shopping,
church attendance, youth groups, play, outdoor activities, sports, hobbies, art,
television, reading, and passive leisure and more recently video, computers, and cell
phones (Hofferth 2009 ).
Percentages of children 6–12 years of age participating in selected activities in
the three surveys are summarized in Table5.4. Almost all children spent time
watching television and playing. The next most reported activity was sports; chil-
dren participating in sport increased from 1981 to 1997 but declined from 1997 to
Time spent in specific activities by children in the three surveys is given in
Table5.5. Three activities dominated weekly time: school, television, and play.
Time in school increased from 1981 to 1997, but changed negligibly from 1997 to
- Time studying increased across surveys, with variation between children 6– 8
and 9–12 years. Younger children spent more time playing than older children.
Playtime decreased in younger and increased in older children between 1981 and
1997, but did not change appreciably between 1997 and 2003. Somewhat sur-
prisingly, television time declined from 1981 to 1997 in both age-groups; it also
Table 5.4 Percentages of children 6–12 years involved in selected activities: 1981, 1997, 2003
Activity 6 – 8 years 9 – 12 years
1981 1997 1997 2003 1981 1997 1997 2003
Sports 69 75 74 57 65 76 77 62
Outdoors 13 14 15 13 21 17 16 8
Playing 93 91 93 94 90 88 88 84
Youth groups 33 25 26 33 42 27 27 34
Television 97 96 96 97 97 94 94 97
Reading 37 43 42 54 32 34 35 43
Art activities 20 24 26 35 17 21 22 21
Other passive
leisure53 45 46 38 73 51 52 44Adapted from Hofferth and Sandberg (2001a,b) and Hofferth ( 2009 )
5 Physical Activity and Inactivity Among Children... 79