Tune out the idea of a TV in your child’s bedroom
Deals on flat-screen TVs can make them an attractive buy. But you may want to think twice before getting one for your children’s bedroom. A recent study suggests negative health consequences from placing a TV in your child’s bedroom.
The study, entitled “Television, Adiposity, and Cardiometabolic Risk in Children and Adolescents,” was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Researchers found that children who spent a lot of time watching TV in the bedroom were at a higher risk for developing childhood obesity, and specifically a high waist circumference.
According to the study, the average American child from 8 to 18 watches about 4.5 hours of TV each day. Seventy percent have a TV in the bedroom and about one-third of youths between 6 and 19 is considered obese. The study also found that children with a TV in the bedroom were more likely to watch more TV.
Researchers reveal that these children have more fat and higher body mass, as well as higher waist circumference, when compared with their peers who did not have a bedroom TV.
Dr. Jennifer DeBruler, an internal medicine physician with Advocate Medical Group, suggests limiting your child’s TV and computer time.
“I recommend two hours of TV and/or computer time as a limit,” says DeBruler. “This can help keep them active and even prevent weight gain. But I also strongly recommend against putting a TV in your child’s bedroom, as it just encourages sedentary behavior.”
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
I don’t think the problem with obesity in children is because the child has a TV in their room. The problem is with the parents who allow their child to watch TV all day.