Effects of screentime in children . Recommendations.

Being aware of the high influence of screentime (SCT) and low physical activity as risk factors for being overweight, I see the importance of educating parents in order to help their children take advantage of television time but avoiding health problems for them.

Evidence conducted by the American Dietetics Association (ADA) identified SCT with the amount of time spent watching TV or playing Videogames (VG) as predisposing factors for obesity.

The current SCT guideline from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) sets:

+ To view no more than 2 hours of quality programming per day.

+ The AAP also recommends 13,000 steps/day/boys and 11,000 steps/day/girls as physical activity measure for a common day.

In a study from Kelly R. Laurson, MS Joey Eisenmann and et al reported in the Journal of Pediatrics in August 2008, the children were categorized into four groups:

The graph shows how not meeting the guidelines for SCT and PA may raise 4.5 times the risk factor for being overweight in boys and 3 times for girls.

They also found that Physical Activity is a more important risk factor for overweigth than SCT in girls, but in the boys both variables: SCT and PA account significantly for weight status.

In this study, the average of TV and Videogames playing was 28 hours/ week for 7-12 year olds compared to the National Survey were the average reported was 30.6 hours/ week for 8-10 year olds.

How parents influence their children on TV viewing

From another study reported also in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2005, which researched the links between parents screentime and their daughters SCT, approximately 40% of the girls exceeded SCT recommendations of watching equal or less than 2 hours/day.

Girls watched more TV when their parents were high volume TV viewers. Girls exposed to 2 or more parenting risk factors were 5-10 times more likely to exceed SCT recommendations.

This parenting risk factors were:

+ Parents that are high volume TV viewers.

+ Parents that rely heavily on TV as recreational activity.

+ Parents that watch TV with them.

+ Parents that fail to limit the access to TV.

Recommendations

In New Delhi, India another study was conducted in 1993 and reported in Chilhood magazine. The research was based on other countries comments about the impact of TV on children and how it can be controlled if parents interact and discuss the programmes viewed.

In the households where parents had higher levels of education, children spent more time watching TV and interact with their kids about TV programmes. The TV for them has a positive image as a healthy source of entertainment and information.

Most parents restricted viewing, but more to restrict certain programmes considered undesirable.

The findings suggest a need to sensitize parents to their role in their kids TV viewing to make a fruitful learning experience. I would add, it is key to limit the screentime and share together other activities for recreation in order to drop the risk factors for a health problem like obesity is.

More interesting information of how to adequately moderate SCT in the Center for Screentime Awareness

Child and Teen Fitness articles for helpingh your kids with health matters.

Go back to Lifetime Fitness Nutrition Homepage

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