TOO MUCH TELEVISION WATCHING MAY INCREASE A CHILD'S RISK OF BEING OVERWEIGHT, ACCORDING TO A STUDY IN THE ARCHIVES OF PEDIATRICS AND ADOLESCENT MEDICINE. HOWEVER, ANOTHER STUDY IN THE SAME JOURNAL FOUND THAT THE ASSOCIATION IS TRUE ONLY FOR CHILDREN OF OBESE PARENTS. IN THAT STUDY, AMONG CHILDREN OF NORMAL-WEIGHT PARENTS, TELEVISION VIEWING TIME DID NOT SEEM TO AFFECT THEIR OVERWEIGHT RISK. FOR CHILDREN WITH AT LEAST ONE OBESE PARENT, HOWEVER, THE OPPOSITE WAS TRUE. "YOU CAN'T THINK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF TELEVISION AND OBESITY AS UNIFORM FOR ALL CHILDREN," STUDY AUTHOR DR. ELIZABETH A. VANDEWATER, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, TOLD REUTERS HEALTH. "THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT PARENTAL WEIGHT STATUS IS AN IMPORTANT MODERATOR OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TELEVISION VIEWING AND CHILD WEIGHT STATUS, AND THAT RESEARCHERS INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING AND INTERVENING IN CHILDHOOD OBESITY WOULD DO WELL TO COLLECT INFORMATION FROM PARENTS AS WELL AS CHILDREN," VANDEWATER AND HER COAUTHOR, XUAN HUANG, WRITE. THEIR IN-HOME AND TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS OF 1,483 CHILDREN AGED 6 TO 19 YEARS IN 2002 REVEALED THAT PARENTAL OBESITY WAS GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED OVERWEIGHT RISK FOR ALL OF THE CHILDREN, EXCEPT 6- TO 9-YEAR-OLD BOYS. WHAT'S MORE, FOR 14- TO 19-YEAR-OLD BOYS AND 10- TO 13-YEAR-OLD GIRLS WITH AT LEAST ONE OBESE PARENT, THE RISK OF OVERWEIGHT INCREASED ALONG WITH THE INCREASING NUMBER OF HOURS SPENT WATCHING TELEVISION. NO SUCH ASSOCIATION WAS FOUND FOR THEIR SAME-AGE PEERS WITH NORMAL WEIGHT PARENTS, HOWEVER. "TELEVISION VIEWING BECOMES A REAL RISK IN ADOLESCENCE AMONG KIDS WHO ARE AT FAMILIAL RISK OF OBESITY," VANDEWATER SAID. THUS, REDUCING TELEVISION TIME TO COMBAT A CHILD'S OVERWEIGHT RISK MAY ONLY BE EFFECTIVE FOR SOME YOUNGSTERS. IN ANOTHER STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE SAME JOURNAL, DR. JULIE C. LUMENG, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR, AND COLLEAGUES INVESTIGATED THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TELEVISION VIEWING AND THE RISK OF BEING OVERWEIGHT AMONG 1,016 PRESCHOOLERS FROM 10 SITES THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. ACCORDING TO PARENTS' REPORTS, MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS OF THESE CHILDREN WATCHED TELEVISION FOR TWO OR MORE HOURS PER DAY. THESE CHILDREN WERE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT THAN THE 32 PERCENT WHO WATCHED LESS THAN TWO HOURS OF TELEVISION DAILY, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, THE REPORT INDICATES. ALTOGETHER, NEARLY 6 PERCENT OF THE CHILDREN WERE OVERWEIGHT AT 36 MONTHS OF AGE AND 10 PERCENT WERE OVERWEIGHT BY 54 MONTHS. CHILDREN WHO WERE EXPOSED TO THE TELEVISION FOR TWO OR MORE HOURS EVERY DAY, HOWEVER, WERE NEARLY THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE OVERWEIGHT AT 36 MONTHS AS THOSE WHO WATCHED LESS TELEVISION, LUMENG AND HER TEAM REPORT. NOTING THAT "MOST 3-YEAR-OLDS DON'T SIT STILL WATCHING THE TELEVISION FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME," LUMENG TOLD REUTERS HEALTH THAT HER STUDY "FOUND THAT JUST HAVING THE TV ON -- EVEN IF THE CHILD WAS JUST IN THE ROOM PLAYING, BUT NOT SITTING ATTENTIVELY WATCHING IT -- SEEMED TO INCREASE THE RISK OF OBESITY IN THE 3-YEAR-OLD." AND, SHE ADDED, THIS FINDING WAS TRUE "REGARDLESS OF IF THE FAMILY IS UPPER INCOME, WELL-EDUCATED, WITH A STIMULATING HOME ENVIRONMENT WITH LOTS OF EDUCATIONAL GAMES, TOYS, AND INTERACTION WITH THE CHILDREN, AND (IF) THE TELEVISION IS 'EDUCATIONAL.'"
