Reducing TV and computer use helps children lose excess weight
Publication Date:03/03/2008
An electronic device that limits the time children spend in front of the TV and computer may cut down on the amount of snacks they consume and help them lose excess weight, a study has found.
What do we know already?
Previous studies have found that the more time children spend watching television or on the computer the more likely they are to be overweight. Watching TV has also been linked to eating fast food and drinks that appear in advertisements. It can then become a habit to eat when you watch TV even if you're not hungry. Researchers think that associating TV with food could well be contributing to weight problems among children in the UK.
Most doctors use the body mass index (BMI for short) to work out whether someone is a healthy weight. A person's BMI is a number that's worked out by dividing their weight (in kilograms) by the square of their height (in metres). Doctors will normally use the BMI along with a child's growth chart to decide if he or she is a healthy weight.
Researchers did the present study to see if reducing TV and computer use with a monitoring device helped to reduce excess weight in children aged 4 to 7. All the children in the study were among the heaviest for their age and at risk of becoming overweight or obese as adults.
What does the new study say?
The study found that children who used a device to restrict their use of the TV and computer spent, on average, 17.5 hours less in front of screens each week. This compares with an average 5.2-hour reduction in screen time among children who had no limits on their use of TV and computers (the control group).
Children who used a screen monitor also consumed fewer calories than those in the control group and saw a bigger reduction in their BMI. One researcher calculated that children who used the screen monitor watched 1.76 hours less TV and ate about 150 fewer kilocalories each day.
However, the researchers didn't find any difference between the two groups of children in how much exercise they did.
Where does the report come from?
The study was done by researchers from the State University of New York in Buffalo and Stanford University School of Medicine in California, USA.
How reliable are the findings?
This was a good-quality study. Half the children in the study used a device to restrict their screen time while the other half had no restriction. Although the study included only 70 children, researchers followed them for two years, which is a good length of time to see the impact of screen time on weight.
The researchers asked parents to fill in a questionnaire about what their children ate in the last month. But it can be difficult for parents to remember exactly what their child ate and this could make the findings of the study less reliable. It would have been more accurate for parents to fill in a food diary every day. But this takes more time and may have put some parents off taking part in the study.
What does this mean for me?
This study has important findings for families with overweight children. It shows that watching TV affects how much children eat, and that reducing TV and computer time using a monitoring device can lead to weight loss. The researchers say the TV monitoring device can also be used to reduce screen time among older overweight children and teenagers.
The children in the study spent at least 14 hours each week watching TV or in front of a computer screen, so the results may not apply to children who use screens less than this.
What should I do now?
If you're worried that your child may be spending too much time in front of a screen and that this might be linked to them eating too much, you may want to think about how to reduce their screen time.
As any parent knows, it can sometimes be a struggle to get children to switch off the TV or put down the game console. You may want to try using a monitoring device like that used in this study. You need one device for every TV and computer in the house, though, so it can be quite expensive. One advantage of these devices is that while they limit screen time, the child can choose how to spend the screen time they are given. This can help to avoid arguments over screen use.
But it may not be enough just to use a device. In the study children were rewarded with up to US$2 (about £1) each week if they didn't use up all their screen time. Parents also used a star chart and were encouraged to help find alternative entertainment for their child, such as going to the park.
If you are concerned about your child's weight, it's worth seeing the doctor. He or she will be able to confirm whether or not there is a weight problem, and may be able to refer you, if necessary, to weight-loss programmes.
From:
Epstein LH, Roemmich JN, Robinson JL, et al. A randomized trail of the effects of reducing television viewing and computer use on body mass index in young children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 2008; 162: 239-245.
Gortmaker SL. Innovations to reduce television and computer time and obesity in childhood. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 2008; 162: 283-284.
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© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
