Obesity in both children and adults has increased dramatically over the past three years, increasing risk factors for hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease. U. S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, MD has even called obesity “the greatest threat to public health today.” So what’s to blame? According to numerous studies, “unhealthy habits and inaction.” (Read: too much TV, too little exercise!)
Here are some examples:
- Almost half of children ages 8-16 watch 3-5 hours of television per day, and kids who watch the most TV have the highest incidence of obesity, according to the National Institute of Health.
- Children who watch more than three hours of TV per day are fifty percent more likely to be obese than those who watch less than two hours per day, reports an article in the International Journal of Obesity.
- The amount of time adolescents spend watching music videos, TV soap operas, and other daytime television corresponds with increased body dissatisfaction and a desire to be unrealistically thin, according to a 1996 study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
Learn more from the Smart Television Alliance Web site.
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Comments: 24
The major damage is caused to the brain, they are watching images rather then the written words. The stats show the lower score for students. I will guarantee the if Tv , and video games were not in the home they would do better in school and show interest in reading. When we read a book we use a mental process that raises our intelligence quotient.
Over the weekend, my husband and I watched our nieces and nephew. Well, mostly he did, I was away at a church function. But the kids were glued to the TV most of the weekend. We (my husband and I) don't have TV. We 'have' a TV, but we mainly use it to watch video rentals now and then. We don't have cable, or satellite, or regular TV. We don't have time to watch it, so we turned it off.
The kids have a huge back yard, and a huge trampoline. They have bikes, they have stuff to do...outside! But they didn't want to.
I think we have a fear of what will happen to them, the days of letting them go out and play while we clean the house are over, because of what goes on nowdays with people taking kids from right in front of their homes alot of why parents keep them inside is because of fear. We need to think about their health too...parents put that broom and mop away, go out and play with your kids...take them to the local park, throw the ball around, ride bikes with them, or just play a game of tag!!! That is quality time that you can have with your child and the memory of that will be with them for all of their lives!
Now that they are adults, they are having to fight their weight as I am, but it isn't from just overeating. Our genetics are a huge part of it. All the women on both sides of my family have been obese no matter what they did or didn't do.
I think more harmful that watching tv (sitting around too much)
Is the fast food these parents shove at their children and call meals.
When I was a kid, fast food was a treat you had once a week or less.
I live in a weathly neighborhood, where both parents work and dinner many nights comes with paper cups with lids. While it might taste good and get dinner over in a hurry, these children will pay for these meals with their lives later.
The number of 50 year olds having heart bypasses these days is astounding. (I know, I am one)
I believe that is from not only fast food, but the convience food that came out while I was growing up. The meals in a bag at your grocery store aren't as healthy as their makers would like you to believe. They are LOADED with salt (as a preservative) and the kinds of fats we wouldn't use if we were making that same meal from fresh items at home.
Next time you think about serving your family fast food for ANY meal, consider this--
Would you like to save time---or your families lives!
If people have televisions still (the reason for which would be DEBATABLE), they should limit television viewing to a weekly family hour and one special show or something ...
Don't turn your children into veggies ...
Most of the people who I know (under 30) watch very little actual television ... although many keep tabs on their favourite series and stars on the Internet.
And it has to do with heredity in some cases. Like in my family, i have battled my weight all my life and i was the first born. now my oldest is 16 and he is over weight, and my 2 younger children are skinny. And i have really watched his tv time, and food intake.
So there is a combination of things that can lead to the obesity problem with children
Pax ... Kihe