Each extra hour that kids spend watching television translates into 167 extra calories in their diets because they most likely eat the unhealthy foods they see advertised during their favorite shows, Harvard researchers said.

Experts from the Harvard School of Public Health and Children's Hospital Boston said in April's Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine that their study is the first to show why children who watch more television are more likely to be overweight.

"We've known for a long time that television viewing is a risk factor for overweight, though the common perception is that this is due to the fact that it's a sedentary use of time," said Jean Wiecha, the study's lead author and a Harvard senior research scientist. "This study provides evidence that television is effective in getting kids to eat the foods that are advertised, and this drives up their total calorie intake."

The study comes just before TV Turnoff Week April 24-30. Parents can learn more about keep tabs on their children's TV viewing habits by clicking here.

Sugary sodas, chips, fast foods, snacks

Wiecha's team studied dietary and TV viewing habits of 548 sixth- and seventh-graders in Boston over 19 months. The researchers were particularly concerned about the amount of soda, chips, fast foods and baked snacks the children consumed and how many hours a week they spent watching TV.

The results showed that each hour of increased television viewing was linked to 167 extra calories, just about the amount of calories in sodas, snack foods or other popular children's food advertised on TV. Viewing time served up the strongest connection to additional consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, according to the study.

Twice as many children and almost three times as many teens are overweight today compared to 20 years ago. Overweight young people are more likely to become overweight or obese adults at risk for diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

The Harvard study bolsters a long-standing recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics to limit children to less than two hours of television each day to lessen sedentary time - a major risk factor for excess weight in kids - and  reduce exposure to content associated with negative consequences.

For more Nubella articles on childhood obesity and television, click here and here.

Source: Harvard School of Public Health
Posted by: Steve Smith
Reference: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine
Website: www.hsph.harvard.edu

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