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Obesity - Turf the telly! |
 Researchers suggest that the more television children watch, the less healthy they probably are. It is very clear, for example, that children who watch more TV are more likely to be overweight or obese. This is partly because while they are watching TV they are not being physically active, but is also due to food advertisements enticing children to snack as they watch - and the sort of foods most commonly advertised are just the sorts of foods most likely to lead to over-consumption. When did you last see advertisements for fruit or vegetables?
Young children are even more at risk. Recent research published in the journal Pediatrics says the more television pre-schoolers are exposed to, the more likely they are to acquire an attention deficit disorder. The study revealed that each hour of television watched a day at ages 1-3 increases the risk of attention problems, such as ADHD by almost 10 percent at age seven. They found that the rapidly changing images could over-stimulate a toddler’s brain at a time when it was vulnerable. And in Tasmania researchers from The Menzies Centre in Hobart conducted a six-week study of adolescent boys during the winter of 1999 and discovered a strong association between TV viewing habits and growth. Those who did not grow were not getting enough vitamin D from sunlight. They report that the worst effects were seen in children watching more than four hours of television a day.
Cheap, easy, and always on hand, children are now spending more time watching television than they are doing any other recreational activity, with about 40% of children aged 5- 12 years watching two or more hours a day. In addition to that, one in five boys play computer games for more than an hour a day.
How can parents help to reduce the amount of TV kid’s watch?
Parents might try these tips which can help children cut back on small screen time. And by watching less, families will have more time for active play and for each other.
Make a goal. Set a time limit for the number of hours per day or per week you’d like them to devote to television. Try to stick to below 1 hour a day - or try cutting their current time in half.
Discourage television viewing for children younger than 2 years, and encourage more interactive activities that will promote proper brain development, such as talking, playing, singing, and reading together.
Switch it off at mealtimes. Watching while you eat makes it easy to watch too much and may be making you eat too much.
Relocate the TV. Make it more difficult to watch by moving your set out of the way. Resist the temptation to have sets in children’s bedrooms.
Jillian Adams is the obesity prevention co-ordinator at the Health Promotion Unit, Division of Population Health, Northern Rivers Area Health Service. Ph. 6620 7215. Email: jilliana@nrahs.nsw.gov.au
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