Parents, take note! Placing TV sets in your children’s room may put them at significantly higher risk of being overweight in later life, a new study warns.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) in the UK found that girls who had a TV in their bedroom at age of seven were at an about 30% higher risk of being overweight at age 11 compared to children who did not have a TV in their bedroom, and for boys the risk was increased by about 20%.
“We found that having a TV in the child’s bedroom was an independent risk factor for being overweight and increased body fatness,” said Anja Heilmann form UCL. “The causes of overweight and obesity are complex and multiple. Screen time is part of the bigger picture and further research is needed among older children and adolescents, as the use of screen-based media like computers, tablets increases with age,” Heilmann said.
