Watching TV and Childhood Obesity (Photo : Twitter)
Watching television is linked with becoming overweight and obese, according to research.
Children who spend at least four hours a day watching television are more predisposed to becoming overweight or obese than those who spend less time, as per HNGN.
Researchers at the American Academy of Pediatrics conducted a survey called Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, which examines pediatric development, school readiness, and early school capabilities, involved more than 11,000 children in kindergarten between 2011 and 2012.
The parents of the subjects were instructed to provide information about their child's height and weight, school performance, the number of TV hours per day, and the number of hours spent in using the computer.
The results revealed that the children spent time watching the television for an average of 3.3 hours daily.
It was further shown that kindergarteners who watched the television at least one hour per day have 60 percent probability of becoming overweight and 73 percent likelihood of becoming obese as compared to those who spend time in front of the screen for less than 60 minutes a day.
Results displayed no significant change after changing some variables such as race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and computer use.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the case of childhood obesity has become more than twice in children and has increased by four times in adolescents in the past 30 years.
University of Virginia Associate Professor of Pediatrics Mark D. DeBoer said that parents and pediatricians should take an action to restrict childhood TV viewing, given the "overwhelming" association between the amount of time in watching TV and the increase in weight.
Parents should limit the number of hours their children spend for watching television per day in order to decrease the likelihood of childhood obesity, according to the researchers.
CDC advises parents to promote healthy lifestyle habits, such as healthy eating and physical activity, as these can reduce the risk of obesity and associated diseases.
