April 23, 2008 02:12 pm
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Submitted by the North Georgia Health District
Children and teens who spend more than a couple of hours a day on average in front of a TV, video or computer screen are more likely to be overweight than their peers who limit their screen time.
Turnoff Week, April 21-27, is an excellent time to start limiting recreational screen time and boosting physical activity and healthier living.
"We know that the more time a child spends in front of the TV or computer, the more likely he or she is to be overweight," said acting U.S. Surgeon General Steven K. Galson. "Kids are spending more time sitting in front of screens every day than they do anything else except perhaps sleeping. For Turnoff Week, we are asking parents to turn off the screens and get active with their kids."
Although the Turnoff Week awareness campaign formally lasts only seven days each year, Galson added, "We encourage parents to regularly limit recreational screen time to fewer than two hours a day."
Consider the facts:
* Every day, children ages 8 to 18 spend more than six hours watching TV, playing video games or using the computer for recreational purposes.
* The more time youth spend in front of the screen, the more likely they are to be overweight.
* Overweight rates are highest among children watching four or more hours a day.
* Research has shown that children who reduced their screen time showed decreases in body mass index (BMI), which measures body fat related to height, and decreases in unhealthy weight gain.
We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition), a science-based national education program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offers the following tips for parents:
* Agree to limit screen time to no more than two hours a day.
* Don't put a TV in your child's bedroom.
* Make screen time active time by doing simple exercises during commercial breaks.
* Take a family walk after dinner instead of turning on the TV.
* Turn off the TV and play ball at the park.
For more information on We Can!, visit http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov or call toll-free 866-35-WE CAN (866-359-3226).
Resources:
* We Can!, http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov
* We Can! Gets Involved in Turnoff Week 2008, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/news/event03.
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