Showing papers by "Victor C. Strasburger published in 1991"

The Adolescent with Chronic Pains: Basic Principles of Psychosomatic Medicine.

Abstract: This chapter examines the diagnosis and management of psychosomatic illness in adolescents. Included are case studies and discussions of chronic pain, including chronic abdominal pain, chronic chest pain, and chronic headaches.

Children, Adolescents, and Televis'ion

Abstract: Children in the United States spend more time watching television than they do in any activity other than sleep. As shown in Table 1, children in 1988 aged 2 to 5 years watched approximately 25 hours of television per week, children aged 6 to 11 years watched 23 hours per week, and adolescents viewed approximately 22 hours per week.r Considered on an annual basis, these figures indicate that children spend more time in front of the television set than they do in school. The average American 2-year-old child spends 60 days a year in front of the television; by the time that child finishes high school, almost 3 years will have been spent watching television. Based on the current mix of programs that children watch, the average child annually sees 12,000 violent acts2 and sees or hears 14,000 references to sex.3 It is hardly surprising that thousands of American children spell relief “ROLAIDS,“4 or that children in a Maryland suburb identified more brands of beer than American presidents.5 Because children in the United States spend so much time watching television, and because television significantly influences a variety of health-related behaviors, it is crucial for pediatricians to familiarize themselves with the effects of television on children. The pervasive influence of television suggests that pediatricians begin to include counseling on television as part of anticipatory guidance and continue their efforts to affect the regulation and function of this industry. In this review, we will consider the implications of the time that children spend watching television and the commercial relationship of television to children. We will then consider how television affects children. We will review appropriate recommendations to fam-