A risk factor for chubby children

What's the risk factor for childhood obesity that researchers recently reported in the scientific journal Pediatrics? It's television -- but not just having or watching it. Children who have a TV set in their own bedroom have a higher risk of serious weight problems.

Researchers surveyed more than 2,700 low-income parents with preschool-aged children. Even at those young ages, 40% of the kids had a TV set in their bedroom, and that fact raised their risk of being obese by about 30 percent. Children with TV sets in their rooms watched nearly five hours more TV per week than did children without sets in their rooms.

The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to limit children's TV viewing to no more than 2 hours per day, and urges them not to allow TVs in the kids' bedrooms. Academy officials also urge parents to watch TV with their children, and discuss what they see.

Resources

Check the KidSource.com Web site for an authoritative fact sheet describing childhood obesity, its causes and treatment.