TV Watching Makes Children Overweight, Says New Study

The more time a three-year old child spends in front of the TV, the more calories he consumes, according to Harvard researchers. Increased TV watching is associated with larger intake of junk-food and decreased intake of healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruits, dietary fibers, or calcium.

Every hour spent in front of the TV makes children drink more sugar-sweetened beverages, and brings almost forty-seven extra calories per day, said Sonia Miller, lead author of the study.

Although forty-six extra calories per day may seem unimportant, in time this can make a difference, according to Matthew Gillman, co–author of the study. The study proved that poor dietary habits are strongly related to increased TV or video watching.

Most of the children watched TV or video for almost two hours per day. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children under two years old do not watch TV or video, while the two-years or older watch TV for no more than two hours per day.

It is commonly believed that there is a strong relationship between watching TV and obesity, because of the extra-food eaten while watching TV. However, another important factor that gets overlooked is the lack of physical activity. Children can get little physical activity even if they don’t watch much TV. Alternatively, they can get a lot of exercise even if they spend a lot of time in front of the TV, says Gillman.

Researchers don`t know for sure whether the food that is advertised on TV makes the children eat more or not, however it is clear that children eat more while watching TV.

The American Heart Association (-am pus link…pune link catre ei “sub” nume) recommends that sedentary children watch TV or video for no more than one or two hours per day. Children should have at least sixty minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day.