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TV in bedroom puts children at higher risk of obesity: Study

Written by: QMI Agency
Dec. 11, 2012

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Children with TVs in their bedrooms are more likely to be at risk of obesity, a new study has found.

Researchers looked at 369 children aged 5 to 18 in Baton Rouge, La., noting their waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, fat mass and stomach fat. The data showed that not only were those with TVs in their bedrooms more likely to watch more TV, they also had more fat mass and a higher waist circumference compared to those without a bedroom TV.

Study participants with a TV in the bedroom and those who watched more than two hours of television a day had up to 2.5 times the odds of having the highest levels of fat mass.

"A bedroom TV may create additional disruptions to healthy habits, above and beyond regular TV viewing," study co-author Amanda Staiano said.

The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

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