AMES, Iowa -- How much time do kids really spend in front of a screen these days? A Screen Time Challenge let Emmet County youth track their time to answer this question.

With today’s youngsters offered video games, portable DVD players, 24-hour kids television programming and computer time, their opportunities for inactivity continue to grow.
 
Through the challenge, an innovative pilot program, 4-H youth recorded how they spent their time. They first set a baseline by tracking the physical activity minutes and screen time they spent each day. A total of 45 youth, ages 9 to18, participated in the challenge.
 
During the challenge, participants learned about changing their habits by choosing from a variety of activities including jumping rope, frisbee golf, outdoor challenge games, serving size challenges and building healthy snacks. The study took place from April to July 2006.
 
“We wanted to encourage kids to really notice how they were spending their free time,” said Holle Smith, education director for Iowa State University (ISU) Extension in Emmet County. “By providing them with ideas of fun activities and healthier snacks, we hoped to have a strong impact on their future choices. We were very pleased to see that 4-H’ers increased their physical activity through the project.”
 
Each month the 4-H’ers received feedback about changes to their screen time and physical activity time. Ninety-five percent of participants reported seeing more clearly how they spent their time. In addition, 
• 91 percent cut back on their screen time
• 100 percent spent more time being active
• 50 percent felt more organized
• 32 percent reported having decreased stress
 
“The impact of health promotion on our youth is fantastic. I was very pleased by the commitment of these 4-H’ers to the project; few people would be willing to take a hard look at how they spend their time each day,” said Michelle Welch, RD/LD dietitian and a Harkin Wellness Grant coordinator for Avera Holy Family Health. “By focusing on day-to-day activities for kids of all fitness levels, we were able to impact athletes and non-athletes alike. I was quite surprised by the kids stating that they learned the most from our activities about drink portions and snack choices.”
 
Final evaluations also revealed
• 64 percent chose healthier snacks including more fruits and vegetables
• 95 percent made better choices for drinks and snacks 
• 82 percent drank more water
• 73 percent had more energy
• 32 percent spent more family time in physical activity
 
The Screen Time Challenge was funded in part by a Harkin Healthy Community Wellness grant through the Iowa Department of Public Health. The program is unique to Emmet County and was created through combined efforts of Avera Holy Family Health and Emmet County ISU Extension staff. Funding has been granted to continue the initiative in 2007.

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