Kindergarteners and first-graders who watched as little as one hour of TV a day were more likely to be overweight. A study of over 11,100 kindergarteners showed that most kids averaged 3.3 hours of TV a day. Think about that. This is the average, meaning 50% of the children watched more than 3 hours of TV a day. The study results showed that those children who watched one or more hours of TV every day were 39% more likely to become overweight and 86% more likely to become obese between kindergarten and first grade. This evidence directly connects TV viewing and weight gain in children. Parents need to understand the importance of monitoring and restricting the amount of time kids watch TV. But, other research has shown that only 30% of pediatricians discuss media use with parents.
Bottom line: If you want healthy kids, limit TV use and turn off TV during meals. According to William H. Deitz, pediatrician and obesity expert at Tufts University School of Medicine, “Almost anything else uses more energy than watching TV.”
