The Tube, Food and You

A new report says TV causes unhealthy eating habits in kids as they snack on junk food while watching TV.

Leah Lipsky and Ronal Iannotti are scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. They worked on the study and found out that every hour of television children watch, they are 8% less likely to eat fruit every day, 18% more likely to eat candy, and 16% more likely to eat fast food.

Encouraging Healthy Snacking

Young people spend a lot of time watching TV, which means they also watch many advertisements for unhealthy foods. Most of those are about fast food, junk food and fizzy drinks. Studies show that kids who watch a lot of TV usually prefer eating foods that have a lot of sugar, salt and fat in them.

Lipsky and Iannotti hope to give parents a message with their report. The researchers asked questions to more than 12,000 students in grades 5 to 10. They asked the kids about how much time they spent every day watching TV, using the computer or playing video games. They also asked the students to report on how often they ate different types of foods, including fruits, vegetables, soda and fast food.

Students who watch TV more said that they also eat unhealthy while they are watching. They also said that they prefer watching TV to doing any physical activity. These two together can cause serious health problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart problems and sleep disorders.

Lipsky and Iannotti recommend that parents limit the amount of time kids spend in front of a TV or computer. The American Academy of Paediatrics reports suggest no more than two hours a day for children over two years old. The researchers also recommend that parents should try to encourage healthier snacking habits during TV and computer time by giving kids healthy snacks such as fruits and nuts.