Frederick Pediatric Associates

It probably will not surprise parents that the amount of television their children watch can affect the ability to maintain a healthy weight. After all, watching television is a sedentary activity, so that as a youth watches television, exercise, he or she gets. However, parents should also be aware that the type of children watching television can have an enormous impact on childhood obesity.

In February 2010, UCLA School of Public Health has issued a press release entitled "Childhood Obesity: It's not the amount of television, the number of advertisements of junk food. Researchers Frederick J. Zimmerman and Janice F. Bell found that children who watch television programs with commercial advertisements for junk food are more likely to be obese than children who watch television the other types.

Everyone knew the siren call of the refrigerator after an advertisement for a popular snack chip. The viewer sees the ad, feel a pang of hunger, and check the pantry. Children have less impulse control than adults, and less awareness of the consequences of their actions.

And children are bombarded with advertisements for junk food.

For each TV program a half hour, there are about eight minutes of commercials. Adult Programs come with ads for cars and life insurance and all sorts of things that will not gain weight on anyone, but advertisements during children's programs from advertising toys and food, that's all. It would not matter so much if the food ads praised green leafy vegetables and portion sizes smaller. But no, the food advertisements from the advertising sugar, rich in fat, salt, high calorie foods with little or no nutritional value. Junk.

The ads are loud, bright, and entertaining, and they have attractive people singing catchy little songs that the children hear over and over again in their heads. At the grocery store, many children sing advertising jingles or readopt when they see a product strongly encouraged. It's a good sign that children are indoctrinated by junk food companies, and it is the role of parents to put an end to it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television viewing whether for children under 2. For older children, they recommend no more than 1-2 hours of TV ... but more specifically education, non-violent television. For that, I'll add my personal recommendation that children avoid commercial television altogether. If parents find that this is impossible, then I recommend that, at least, they develop a habit of muting the family television during commercials.

According to the UCLA study, "Display non-commercial purposes, including watching DVDs and educational television programs, had no significant association with obesity."

The parents of a budget can often get DVDs for free at their local library, or buy the DVD used to garage sales and video stores. Even if the children watch the same programs on DVDs they watched on TV, they will not be tempted by the ads.

Children may complain of change in their routine, but parents must remain firm as they remember the long-term goal of helping their child achieve and maintain a healthy weight. It is a change that every parent can do, and show positive results and measurable.