A television in the bedroom is associated with higher weekday screen time among youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD)

OBJECTIVE A TV in the bedroom has been associated with screen time in youth. Youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) have higher rates of screen time, but associations with bedroom TVs are unknown in this population. We examined the association of having a bedroom TV with screen time among youth with ADD/ADHD. METHODS Data were from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. Youth 6-17 years whose parent/guardian reported a physician's diagnosis of ADD/ADHD (n = 7,024) were included in the analysis. Parents/guardians reported the presence of a bedroom TV and average weekday TV screen time. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models assessed the effects of a bedroom on screen time. RESULTS Youth with ADD/ADHD engaged in screen time an average of 149.1 minutes/weekday and 59% had a TV in their bedroom. Adjusting for child and family characteristics, having a TV in the bedroom was associated with 25 minutes higher daily screen time (95% CI: 12.8-37.4 min/day). A bedroom TV was associated with 32% higher odds of engaging in screen time for over 2 hours/day (OR=1.3; 95% CI: 1.0-1.7). CONCLUSION Future research should explore whether removing TVs from bedrooms reduces screen time among youth with ADD/ADHD.