Recent articles in The Journal of Pediatrics underlined the relationship between obesity and kids' television viewing habits.
Children in the United States watch an average of three hours of television a day. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children should watch no more than two hours of television each day.
In one study from University College London, researchers found that each additional hour of weekend TV watching by five-year-old children over two hours may increase the risk of obesity in 30-year-olds by 7 percent.
Another study, in the U.S., showed girls who watched more than the recommended two hours per day were 2.6 times more likely to be overweight than girls who watched less than two hours.
The studies prove limiting the amount of time a child spends in front of the television (e.g. removing televisions from children's bedrooms) may be a good way for parents to reduce the risk of obesity in children.
Researchers suggest parents limit the frequency of television viewing by encouraging alternate forms of recreation and selective program choices.
Although the increase in childhood obesity is not caused solely by television, Dr. Reginald Washington, who wrote an editorial about the two studies, stated:
- "Society, as a whole, must realize that to effectively control and prevent this obesity epidemic, all risk factors must simultaneously be reduced."
Visit www.tvturnoff.org to find resources to help you help your kids spend more time away from the television.
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 147, Number 4 (October 2005): "Links between parents' and girls' television viewing behaviors: A longitudinal study" by Kirsten K. Davison, PhD, Lori A. Francis, PhD, and Leann L. Birch, PhD, "Television viewing in early childhood predicts adult body mass index" by R.M. Viner M.D., Ph.D. and T.J. Cole Ph.D., and the editorial "One way to decrease an obesogenic environment" by Reginald Washington, MD.
