Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Let’s Not Raise A New Generation of Couch Potatoes
byThis is disturbing. Researchers from the Harvard School for Public Health and Children’s Hospital Boston have determined that kids eat an equivalent of a bag of potato chips (167 calories) for every hour they watch television. The study concluded that children who watch more television have a significantly increased chance of becoming overweight. If anyone wants validation that advertising works to this age group, the study also revealed, “children were eating significantly larger quantities of the snacks, sweets and fast foods that they had seen advertised most frequently on television.” I became aware of the study yesterday through a post on Boing Boing, but the story has spread quickly. Take your pick:
Guardian Unlimited (UK)
Telegraph (UK)
Health World
Eating Well
The Standard (China)
Yahoo India
There is an abstract of the study at the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, but full access to the report requires a subscription. Most of the stories above will give you a wealth of information contained in the report. The study followed the viewing/eating habits of over 500 children in the Boston area ages 11 to 13.
Many countries such as Sweden, Belgium, Denmark and Greece forbid or restrict advertising specifically aimed at children under age 12, and studies like this certainly give valuable evidence to proponents of a similar ban in this country. At this point, it appears that such a ban is out of the question in the U.S.
This is another one of those issues where, on face value, it is easy to say: “Sure, why not put a ban in place—we need to protect our kids.” However, the real issue is who is the “we.” Are we trying to get legislation to do what should really be the responsibility of parents? Sitting for hours and hours on your duff isn’t healthy for anyone. The best way to address this isn’t to outlaw “junk food” ads, but rather parents leading by example and encouraging their kids to balance television viewing with other things that are good for mind and body.
