Reducing the number of hours spent watching TV reduces childhood obesity, but only the youngest, according to a study by doctors at SickKids Hospital in Toronto, Canada.
As the hospital said in a press release, simply reducing the amount of time watching TV – and a Canadian child spends as much as six hours a day in front of the TV and computer – reduces the BMI (Body Mass Index) in preschoolers.
This means that you should pay attention to the screen hours, especially with the youngest children. The older they are, the more difficult it is to achieve positive results in counteracting obesity by simply pushing away from television.
The entire study was published in the online Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Researchers tested the effects of limiting screen time on children and adolescents up to the age of 18. SickKids, founded in 1875, is one of the world’s best children’s hospitals.
In an earlier study, published in April this year, doctors from SickKids pointed out that children were adopting habits, including bad ones, from their parents.
It has been noticed that preschoolers whose parents spend a lot of time in front of the TV and have a habit of eating lunch and dinner while watching TV, most likely will sit by themselves in front of the TV or computer every day.
Dr. Catherine Birken, quoted in the SickKids communiqué, drew attention to studies that directly show the relationship between the time spent in front of the screen and verbal problems, aggressive behavior or – obesity.
The Canadian Pediatric Association recommends that preschoolers do not watch TV for more than one hour a day. (PAP)