Feb
9
Childhood Obesity: It's Not the Amount of TV, It's the Number of Junk Food … - Science Daily (press release)- Topic: Childhood Obesity News
Filed Under Childhood Obesity News
Bell, is the first to break down the types of television children watch to better determine whether different kinds of content may exert different effects on obesity. Caregivers were also asked to report the format — television programs, DVDs or videos — and the names of the programs watched. The analysis controlled for the amount of physical activity and the children’s gender, age, race/ethnicity, mother’s body mass index (BMI), education and sleep time. Among all children, commercial viewing was significantly associated with higher BMI, although the effect was stronger for children younger than 7 than for those older than 7, the study found. According to the authors, the findings strongly suggest that steering children away from commercial television may be effective in reducing childhood obesity, given that food is the most commonly advertised product on children’s television and the fact that almost 90 percent of children begin watching television regularly before the age of 2. The authors conclude that the availability of high-quality, enjoyable and educational programs for all ages on DVD should make it relatively easy for health educators and care providers to nudge children’s viewing toward content that does not contain unhealthy messages about food and eating. Read Childhood Obesity
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