Researcher: Each Two Hours of TV Daily Doubles a Child's Obesity Risk

Every two hours of television that American children watch doubles their risk of becoming obese, while every hour of exercise that they engage in each day decreases that risk by 10 percent, according to University of Buffalo researchers.

Leonard H. Epstein, professor of pediatrics at the university, found that environmental influences such as watching television, playing computer games and the "invasion" of fast food, soft drinks and high-calorie snacks into children's diets are causing the obesity epidemic in children.

Epstein also found that every additional serving of a soft drink per day increases the risk of obesity in children by 60 percent.

To combat childhood obesity, Epstein believes that food advertising directed at children should be restricted. He also recommends taxing fast food and sugar-sweetened soft drinks and improving the quality of school lunch programs.

Researcher R. Seiji Ohtake, a clinical instructor in the university's department of rehabilitation sciences, said part of the blame for children's lack of physical activity has to be shouldered by their schools for not recognizing the importance of play and physical activity in daily life.

Ohtake said it is natural for children to want to actively explore and experience their environment, but they are told in school to stop fidgeting and to pay attention. As a result, he said the child learns that physical activity is an unacceptable behavior and is not to be tolerated.

He urged schools to develop quality physical education programs that provide a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity per day for students in K-12.

Other sources: University of Buffalo