The sun rises and mothers around the nation rise with it. In addition to preparing for their own day, they also wake, bathe, dress and feed their children. During the AM hustle, many mothers often turn to television to aid in the animation of their tired children.  And, when their children return in the evening, they often like to relax to television before dinner and after bedtime. The National Institutes of Health authored and analyzed a survey that addressed the television viewing of young Latino children, which comprises one in five children in the U.S., today. The study was done to examine the correlation between health and viewing habits, and how the primary language spoken at home may affect the outcome of the child's eating habits, weight, and attention/focusing skills.

Excessive consumption of television during the early stages of childhood is associated with a number of negative health concerns: sleep troubles, attention issues and obesity. And, as technological advances have deployed more devices for the intake of media, it has become a priority to understand the relationship between children and television, particularly as it concerns Latino children.

The NIH report established that Mexican-American preschoolers tend to be more overweight than non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites, which is correlated with television viewership. But, this no way suggests that all Latino preschoolers are heavier than whites and blacks.

The NIH study recognized heterogeneity within the Latino population, such as primary language spoken, when evaluating the health behaviors of Latino children as it relates to television. Evidence from this and other studies analyzing the health behaviors of Latinos suggests that the language of the Latino child's mother will not only change the child's viewing habits, but also their resulting health.

One English-speaking Latina from the Bronx, New York, who describes her children as healthy, and is ethnically Dominican, stated, "My [two] children are allowed to watch television while they dress in the morning, and after homework. Sometimes they eat dinner in front of the TV, but mostly we eat the dinner table. They also have a lot of toys, so they don't need to be in front of the TV all the time."

Data indicates that there is a slower increase of television consumption as the child ages from the children of Spanish-speaking Latinas when compared to the children of English-Latinas and non-Latina white mothers. This indicates that Spanish-speaking Latinas protect their children against excessive viewing of television, therefore encouraging healthier habits in their children. Children in America tend to watch more television than children anywhere else in the world, so it is not a shock that those who are a little less connected, benefit from that disconnect.

In a larger way, language is indicative of culture and tradition in this survey. While Latinos have become more technological with time, it has been greatly due to western influence. So, those Spanish-speaking mothers who are still tethered to their language and culture, can see the benefits of time away from the television screen; while a great deal of other parents permit their children to digest television for hours on in. That's evident when considering that non-Latina white mothers allow their 24-35 month-old children to watch television for nearly 2 1/2 hours daily, English-speaking Latina mothers allow for 24-35 month-old children to watch television for nearly three hours daily, while Spanish-speaking Latino mothers only allow for their 24-35 month-old children to watch television just a little more than 1 ½ hours daily.