HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schairer, J. L. Articles by Marino, R. V. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Schairer, J. L. Articles by Marino, R. V.

From the Department of Pediatrics, Winthrop University Hospital, State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook School of Medicine, Mineola, NY. Dr Schairer is now a faculty pediatrician in the Department of Pediatrics at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune City, NJ. Dr Abraham is now a staff pediatrician at St Luke's–Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Dr Marino is director of general academic pediatrics at Winthrop University Hospital and professor of clinical pediatrics at SUNY at Stony Brook School of Medicine.

Address correspondence to Janet L. Schairer, MD, Jersey Shore Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, 1945 Route 33, Neptune City, NJ 07753-4859.E-mail: jschairer{at}meridianhealth.com

Objective: The authors gathered survey data regarding the use of cellular telephones among families who reside in the New York metropolitan area and whose children receive medical care in a hospital-affiliated general pediatrics clinic.

Methods: Two investigators distributed a 34-question, self-administered survey in pencil-and-paper format to pediatric patients and the adults who accompanied them in the waiting room of a hospital-affiliated, outpatient pediatric practice in Mineola, New York.

Results: Completed surveys were obtained from 35 families. Twenty-eight (80%) of the 35 families completing surveys reported that at least one family member owned and used a cellular telephone. Of these 28 families, 9 (32%) reported that at least one household member aged to 18 years owned and used a cellular telephone. The mean age at which children obtained their first cellular telephone was 15.3 years. The primary reason these respondents cited for providing children with cellular telephones was safety (75%).

Conclusion: The authors conclude that cellular telephone use is widespread among families in the New York metropolitan area. Although the primary reason families provide for obtaining cellular telephones is safety, convenience to household members and peer pressure also play roles.