Cut kids' TV 'to protect health'

dod

At last! Science agrees with dod. Pour that bottle of flat Coca Cola down the back of your TV set- for the sake of your health!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3896093.stm

Cut kids' TV 'to protect health'
Children should watch no more than two hours of TV a day to protect their future health, scientists have warned.

A Lancet study found adults who had been avid TV watchers as children were more likely be overweight, to smoke and to have high cholesterol.

Researchers from the University of Otago, New Zealand, said parents should 'lead by example' and turn the TV off.

Other experts said the study bolstered the argument for banning junk food ads during children's programmes.

The researchers followed 1,000 children born in 1972 and 1973 from the ages of three up to the age of 26.

Every two to three years, they interviewed their parents, then in adolescence the children themselves, to see how much TV they watched each day.

When the study participants were 26, the researchers assessed their adult health.

They checked blood pressure and cholesterol levels, participants' height, how fit they were, whether they smoked and their body mass index (BMI) - which indicates whether a person is a healthy or unhealthy weight.

It was found watching more than two hours of TV a day as children and teenagers was linked with an increased risk of being overweight, smoking and having poor cardiovascular fitness - a measure of how well the heart is working.

It was found 17% of weight problems, 15% of raised blood cholesterol, 17% of smoking and 15% of poor cardiovascular fitness could be linked to excessive TV viewing in childhood and adolescence.

However no link was found between TV and blood pressure.

The associations remained after adjustment for factors such as social background, BMI at age five, parents' BMI, parental smoking, and physical activity at 15 years old.

Benefits for adults

Dr Robert Hancox, who led the study, said: "Although the adult health indicators that we have found to be associated with child and adolescent television viewing are unlikely to result in clinical health problems by the age of 26 years, they are well established risk factors for cardiovascular illness and death later in life.

"Our results suggest that excessive television viewing in young people is likely to have far-reaching consequences for adult health."

He said he backed American Academy of Pediatrics calls for parents to limit children's viewing to one to two hours per day.

Dr Hancox added: "In fact, data suggest that less than one hour a day would be even better."

He said that it may be difficult for some parents to impose such a regime and would need a lot of support and encouragement.

But he added: "Adults are likely to obtain health benefits themselves if they lead by example and turn off the television.

'Common sense'

"We believe that reducing television viewing should become a population health priority."

In an accompanying article in The Lancet, Dr David Ludwig, from Boston's Children's' Hospital, said: "Measures to limit television viewing in childhood and ban food advertisements aimed at children are warranted, before another generation is programmed to become obese."

A spokeswoman for CBBC, which broadcasts children's TV programmes for six to 12-year-olds, said average children's television viewing in the UK had fallen from 166 minutes a day in 2001 to 154 minutes in the first three months of this year.

She said: "It's perhaps too simplistic to point the finger at TV viewing. There may be far more complex reasons why children sit around at home more and take too little exercise, for instance the fact that we live in a risk-averse society."

She added children cycled much less than they did 20 years ago and spent more time using computers.

"Sedentary behaviour should be a cause for concern, but we should sound a note of caution about looking for a single factor behind it."

June Davison, Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation said: "Children should participate in at least one hour of moderate intensity physical activity a day.

"However, only around two thirds of children aged two to15 in England reach even this minimum level. If this trend continues, problems like coronary heart disease will occur in even younger patients."

She added: "This study highlights that it is never too early for parents to encourage their children to adopt a healthy lifestyle."

Repli

You can use facts to prove anything - facts shmacts

Kêrmêttê

Originally posted by Repli
You can use facts to prove anything - facts shmacts

I gotta agree... yakitty schmakitty!
I was a total tv addict when I was a kid and I'm not grossly obese or unhealthy... It's all a cunning conspiricy by the the sports clothes / running shoes industry to try to make more money! A CONSPIRICY I TELLS YA!!!

Gurgle

Typical, blame TV.

And what are they doing about improving the weather, so the kids can spend more time outdoors ?

Nothing. Disgraceful.

whosurpaddy

Originally posted by Gurgle
Typical, blame TV.

And what are they doing about improving the weather, so the kids can spend more time outdoors ?

Nothing. Disgraceful.

well "they" are contributing to global warming, so you cant say their doing nothing

Big Ears

Its only partly the running shoes but mainly the football clubs .

If children can only watch the match with 10 minutes of build up , if they can only watch for one hour they cant watch all of a match forcing them to go to the game to see it all .

also what about those poor children that like cricket , they cant watch nearly anything of a game .

children like to go out and play sports after watching sports on tv .

so from now on all channels should show 60% sports programmes at a minimum .

Gurgle

Originally posted by whosurpaddy:well "they" are contributing to global warming, so you cant say their doing nothing

I'm all for global warming but it doesn't seem to be on schedule. We were promised a mediterranian climate by 2010 but thats not looking likely.

havey123

Any one have kids?
Want to know what your children are being shown during their little programmes?

Well....I can tell you!
During the hours of 9 and 11 am on saturday 25th november 2006 they were subject to only TWO food advertisements....and guess what they were....

McDonalds and Coco-pops!!! :mad:

Do you give into the needs of them wanting and craving these fatty products? I bet you do!!!!

Do they ever ask for wholegrain shreddies? Or activia? Erm....I very much doubt it.

I want to understand why this is!!!

rubadub

Another Lancet study showed kids who play soccer 2 hrs a day or more are more likely to suffer a soccer related injury than kids who play consoles 2hrs a day...

keep them away from the demon football and all will be OK

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

I know.... wrap them up and don't let the little **** out. Ever.

Seriously, though, is it me or is that fact that the quality of children's TV has gone down since we were kids...? There's a lot more of it, but it seems to be a lot more bland...

Seth Brundle

Ikky Poo2 wrote:

Seriously, though, is it me or is that fact that the quality of children's TV has gone down since we were kids...? There's a lot more of it, but it seems to be a lot more bland...

Watch Nick Jr in te evenings (~8pm) - paddington, wombles, rainbow - what more could you want?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

kbannon wrote:

Watch Nick Jr in te evenings (~8pm) - paddington, wombles, rainbow - what more could you want?

True, but it's the old stuff. I'm talking about the stuff produced and created today.

Tom Dunne

I was thinking to myself that this was old news.

Then I took a look at the date of the thread - it's over two years old.

Well done.

User45701

So let me get this straight,

They want children to have less fun and less enjoyment just INCASE they become overwight or smoke.....?

TV is a VERY important part of life for some just as soccer is for certan people or religion for others