Entertained and sedentary: Children have a higher risk of becoming OBESE if they have a TV in their bedroom

( Natural News ) It seems harmless to let your kids have a TV in their bedroom, but researchers warn that this privilege may actually be bad for them. According to a study, children younger than six who can watch films in their own space are more likely to be overweight . The study, which was published in the journal Science & Sports , was conducted by researchers from the University of Porto . However, the researchers did not look into the impact of having TVs in bedrooms on the health of young boys. TV time and childhood obesity Data from the study suggest that four-year-old girls have a greater risk of becoming obese if they are allowed to have a television in their bedroom. For the study, Dr. Jorge Mota and his fellow researchers examined the lifestyles and habits of 120 girls aged four to six. They also talked to the kids’ parents. Their findings suggest that the girls with TVs in their bedrooms were at least thrice as likely to be overweight compared with the other girls who were without the same luxury. After they were questioned, at least two-thirds of the parents admitted that their children had a TV in their bedroom when they were as young as six. The researchers also found that the amount of time children spend watching TV only increases as they get older. They warned that, if left unresolved, unrestricted TV time could cause serious health problems in young children. Additionally, having their own TVs means kids will spend less time on other activities like playing outside or taking part in physical activities. (Related: Experts warn that kids who watch TV see more ads for junk food, consuming on average 500 more snacks per year than kids who don’t .) The […]

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