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Limiting
TV Could Help Cut Child Obesity-Experts
Restricting the amount of television children are allowed
to watch each day could help reduce obesity among youngsters,
health experts said.
Television influences not only what children eat but how
much and where they eat. It is also associated with a decrease
in physical activity, an underlying cause of the worldwide
obesity epidemic.
William Dietz, director of the division of nutrition and
physical activity at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), told an obesity conference in London that
children need alternatives to watching television to raise
their levels of physical activity and to reduce how much
they eat.
``There is now an accumulating body of evidence that suggests
that the impact of reduced television viewing on food intake
may be greater than the impact on activity,'' he said.
Dietz cited a California study that found as much as 25%
of children's food intake occurs while they are watching
television, so limiting television time alone may cut their
chances to overeat.
``We showed a linear relationship of television viewing
to the prevalence of obesity,'' he added.
In the United States the number of hours children watch
television jumped from about two hours per day in 1969 to
more than five in 1990 for many youngsters. Meanwhile, obesity
among adolescents had trebled and doubled in younger children
between 1980 and 1994.
Obesity is also increasing more rapidly among African-American
and Mexican-American women and children than Caucasians,
according to Dietz.
Philip James, the chairman of the International Obesity
Task Force, which funds and organises global initiatives
to combat obesity, told the two-day meeting sponsored by
Britain's National Audit that it is also a problem in the
developing world.
In particular, ``the Pacific Islands have an appalling
problem,'' he said. A report prepared for a meeting of Commonwealth
health ministers showed Pacific Islanders have the highest
rates of adult obesity in the world, with double the number
of overweight people compared to developed countries.
Obesity is measured using body mass index (BMI), which
is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height
in metres squared. A BMI of more than 30 is considered obese.
More that 35 is severely obese and over 40 very severe.
In the United States about 61% of Americans are obese or
overweight, according to the surgeon general's report. In
European countries the numbers are lower, between 10% and
20% of men and 10% and 25% of women, but rising.
Obesity is linked with a number of health complications
including diabetes, osteoarthritis, heart disease, strokes
and certain cancers. Psychological problems include low
self-esteem and depression.
``Unless we do something this epidemic will escalate with
huge consequences for health,'' James warned.
Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: Patricia Reaney
Net Reference 89
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