The impact of TV, computer, and video games on a child’s health has always interested anxious parents. Researchers continue to look for the evidence which could explain why children became so obese today, and television became one of the factors which accelerate obesity.
Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital calculated Body Mass Index of teens and analyzed these figures alongside with the records on daily activities of kids. They came to an interesting conclusion: unlike computer and video games, watching TV correlated with the greater Body Mass Index in children. Presumably, it happens as children develop a habit of eating snacks while watching TV. Besides, the impact of commercials shall be taken into account.
In fact, many other researchers prove that children eat more and make unhealthy choices when they are watching television. Being submerged into whatever is happening on TV, children do not control how much they eat. It is very similar to sitting in the cinema and eating popcorn: people continue eating not until they feel full but until their popcorn is over. They do not pay attention to the fact that they overeat while doing something else.
So what can be done to destroy the link between television and obesity? In the first place, parents shall watch their child’s behavior. Kids do not have to think that they can eat during all the two hours of their favorite movie. It is nothing wrong with consuming food while watching TV but it definitely must not be snacks. Choosing seasonal fruit instead of sweets and potato crisps, parents can control dietary habits of kids.