Own TV in the bedroom promotes overweight in children

Leads a television in the nursery in children to problems with the weight?
If children have their own TV in the bedroom, their risk of becoming overweight later in life increases. Girls are particularly affected by this negative effect. It is still unclear whether similar patterns are triggered by laptops and cell phones.

Researchers at University College London found in their recent research that children with their own TVs in the nursery are more likely to become overweight compared to children without their own television. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "International Journal of Obesity".

If children have their own TV in their bedroom, it increases the likelihood that they will develop obesity or obesity. (Image: Myst / fotolia.com)

More than half of the subjects already had their own television at the age of seven
Spending a lot of time in front of a TV screen causes a harmful combination of risks to human health. For their study, the experts analyzed data from more than 12,000 infants in the UK. The scientists found that more than half of the children had a TV in their bedroom at the age of seven.

Parents had to estimate how much time their children spent watching TV
The parents of the participating children were asked to rate how many hours a day their children usually spent watching TV. At the age of eleven, the researchers then examined the body mass index (a ratio of height and weight) and looked particularly at the percentage of body fat.

Girls are 30 percent more likely to become overweight
It was particularly noticeable that girls with their own TV in their bedroom at the age of seven had a 30 percent higher risk of developing obesity, the authors explain. For boys with their own TV, the risk had been increased by about twenty percent.

What exactly leads to the identified risk for obesity?
Our study shows that there is a clear link between a TV in the bedroom and young overweight children, which then occurs several years later, say the experts. The scientists are not yet sure how the connection between TV sets and overweight comes about. One reason for this could be that children with a TV in their bedroom get less sleep. It is also possible that snacking in front of the TV leads to the overweight, the researchers speculate.

Screens are flattening but children are getting fatter
The greater impact of TV on girls over developing overweight is probably due to the fact that girls are less physically active at this age, the researchers explain. They also call for special strategies to prevent child obesity. Our screens are flattening, but our children are getting fatter, the authors write.

Obesity among children is widespread
It is easy to imagine that parents want to prevent overweight in their children and therefore no longer put a television in the nursery. The results of the current study should be taken quite seriously here, say the scientists. Almost a third of eleven-year-old children in England are overweight. About one in five children is even obese. For this reason, it is very important that the problem of obesity in childhood is taken seriously and fought, the experts add. We know that high levels of screen time in children lead to increased risks of obesity. The TV's own, together with a sedentary lifestyle, sleep disorders and unhealthy eating habits create a particularly harmful combination, warn the authors. (As)