Watching TV puts children at risk of obesity

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Children that spend time sitting in front of the television are at risk of childhood obesity a new study finds out

The researchers from the University of South Australia examined the effect of different sitting behaviours – watching of TV, playing video games, sitting to eat, playing computer games and travelling in the car in 234 Australian children between the ages 10 to 13, who were either healthy or obsessed.

The result showed that sitting to watch TV has more impact on children’s weight than other sitting behaviours.

“Some types of sitting are more strongly associated with body fat in children than others, and time spent watching TV seems to be the worst culprit.” Says Dr Margarita Tsiros, the lead researcher of the study.

“Not all sedentary behaviours are created equal when it comes to children’s weight, how long children spend sitting may be less important than what they do when they are sitting”. adds Tsiros “It’s no surprise that the more inactive a child is, the greater their risk of being overweight,”

In recent years there has been an increase in the percentage of overweight children in both developed and developing countries, which is due to many reasons ranging from lack of money to choose healthier meals, afford sports activities and safe areas for the kids to play.

Also, getting children active can be challenging for parents who work 5 to 7 days in a week, this has made a lot of parents to use screen time as a pervasive means to keep kids less active.

But many Studies have shown that children that are overweight while they are young have overwhelming chances to stay that way till when they become adults.

“An overweight child is more likely to grow up into an overweight adult, so the importance of tackling unhealthy behaviours in childhood is critical”. Tsiros pointed out. “Children who are obese have an increased risk of developing serious health disorders, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.”

“They may also experience reduced wellbeing, social and self-esteem issues, along with pain and difficulties with movement and activity, She adds. “By understanding children’s sedentary behaviours – especially those that are placing our kids at risk – we’ll ensure they stay on a better path towards a healthier weight.”

Parents are advised to allow the kids to have more outdoor activities rather than stay watching television.