A study found that just one hour of television-watching a day can have an effect on a child's weight, and put that child at a greater risk for becoming obese. While TV-watching may not necessarily be a direct cause of obesity, it is heavily considered as a factor. WebMD writes:
"Children who watch one to two hours of TV a day, as opposed to those who watch less, are more likely to be overweight and obese at kindergarten and first grade," said the study's lead author, Dr. Mark DeBoer, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia.
Previous research has linked children's television viewing with obesity and other problems. But the new study finds even less screen time may be enough to influence children's weights.
It's important to note, however, that the study wasn't designed to prove that watching TV actually caused children to become overweight or obese. It could only reveal an association between TV watching and a child's weight.
DeBoer's team assessed data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, which included 11,113 kids enrolled in kindergarten during the 2011-2012 school year. Part of the study collected information around lifestyle factors that could affect a child's educational performance, including each child's computer usage and television habits as reported by his or her parents. The students' height and weight were also measured.
Researchers then collected the same information from the same students and parents a year later, finding some striking correlations between TV-watching habits and weight. The data showed that kindergarteners and first-graders who had a daily dose of 1-2 hours or more of screen time per day had much higher body mass indexes than those who watched TV for an hour or less each day. The children who spent at least 60 minutes in front of the screen were 39 percent more likely to become overweight and 86 percent more likely to become obese.
The researchers did not find a correlation between the children's computer use and weight.
