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, March 31, 2010

Stress, TV Linked to Excessive Weight Gain

People who feel stressed at work and then come home and "veg out" in front of TV are more likely to be overweight and obese, according to a new study from the University of Rochester Medical Center:
  • Dr. Diana Fernandez and her colleagues studied almost 3,000 employees in a large factory in New York, and found that the ones that were working in the most high job strain conditions were heavier than those who worked in more passive areas.
  • About one third of the people in the study were overweight and another 35 percent were obese, which mirrors the American population in general.
  • If a person went home and watched more than two hours of television, they were more likely to be obese. Watching four or more hours of TV a day increased the risk of obesity by 150 percent.
  • Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables did not protect against being overweight, although those who managed to exercise were better able to cope with stress and maintain their weight.
"We are not sure why television is so closely associated with being overweight," Dr. Fernandez said. "Other studies have shown that adults tend to eat more fatty foods while watching television."

Previous studies have identified watching too much television as a potential risk factor for childhood obesity.

This study appeared in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Labels: parenting, causes of childhood obesity, television

Posted By: Aspen/CRC