My Overweight Child: Excessive Screen Time Associated with Overweight among Children

Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Excessive Screen Time Associated with Overweight among Children

Overweight children spend more time watching TV, playing video games and using computers than do children whose weight falls within the normal range, according to a new study from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Researchers analyzed three behaviors of boys and girls ages six to 11 and ages 12 to 17 years old.
The behaviors studied were eating fruits and vegetables, spending time in front of screens, and physical exercise.
Seventy-five percent of overweight teenage boys spent two hours or more in front of screens, as did 50 percent of all overweight children ages six to 11 years old.
Among normal weight children, 69 percent spent less than two hours a day in front of TVs, video games or computers.

These findings illustrate the value of getting kids off the couch, said Mark Tremblay, an officer for Healthy Active Kids Canada.

Labels: computers, overweight children, television