Too much "screen time" in front of computers, video games, and television makes teenagers fat, according to a study from the University of Montréal and the Sainte Justine Hospital Research Center.
Teenagers in the study who used these devices the most often tended to be heavy, and those who increased their screen time during the course of the five-year study gained the most weight. Those who decreased their screen time tended to end up with healthy weights.
Dr. Tracie Barnett and her colleagues studied 744 children starting in the seventh grade. They recorded the children's screen time, time spent exercising, as well as their heights, weights, and body fat composition four times a year for five years.
"Our findings show that youth are at greater risk of increased body fat if screen use increases through high school," said Dr. Barnett. "One possible reason is that teenagers who increase their screen time are simultaneously reducing involvement and in opportunities for more active pursuits. ... The high levels of screen time observed in our study underscore the need for public health strategies to reduce overall screen time among youth."
This study appears in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Labels: causes of childhood obesity, screen_time
Posted By: Jane St. Clair
