TV May Lead to Blood Pressure Increase in Kids
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Research suggests that kids who watch too much TV are at risk of becoming obese, thereby also increasing their risk of developing hypertension. Dr. Jeffrey B. Schwimmer, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California followed 546 obese children, from 2003-2005. The amount of time the children watched TV, their body mass index, and blood pressure readings were recorded.
Children who watched TV for 2.5-4 hours per day were 2.5 times more likely to have hypertension that those who watched 2 or less hours per day. The increase was even greater for those who watched more than 4 hours per day. These children were 3.3 times more likely to have hypertension.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children over two watch less than 2 hours of TV per day. TV is not recommended at all for children under the age of two. Other research has also linked excessive TV watching (3 to 4 hours per day) in children to a higher risk of attention and learning problems (1). Children should be encouraged to pursue other activities such as sports and social groups to reduce the amount of time they watch TV.
References
1. CBC News (2007). Most parents let babies watch TV, despite advice. Available online from http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/05/07/tv-babies.html [Cited Nov.1, 2007].
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the enemy within
It just gets worse and worse! Now we learn that TV watching leads to an increased incidence of high blood pressure, it contributes to obesity and as I mentioned in an article in the past, it makes you stupid-WE ARE KILLING OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN!
Darren Clair, MD
Vibrance Health Services
Sad..
Just read in another article today that kids don't even know what to do when they are outdoors anymore. I remember playing outdoors as a kid and coming up with all sorts of stuff. Kids are getting brainwashed with TV and video games.