How much television does your kids watch?

A recent study from the University of Missouri followed 8,000 children from kindergarten through third grade (J Am Diet Assoc 2007;107(1):53-61). The children were participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Cohort, a sample of children from schools nationwide who entered kindergarten in 1989. About 48% were boys, 52% girls.

The participating children were weighed and their height measured on four occasions: Kindergarten fall and spring, first-grade spring, and third-grade spring. They were classified as overweight if their weight exceeded the 95th percentile for their height. Meanwhile, their parents were interviewed at the same periods, answering questions about their child's amount of television viewing, how often the family ate meals together, how much exercise the child got per week, and how the parents felt about their neighborhood's safety for outside play.

Children were then classified into one of three groups: those who were never overweight, those who became overweight by third-grade spring (but were not overweight before then), and those who were persistently overweight (becoming overweight at some point before third-grade spring). After correlating the three group's television, meal, and activity habits, the researchers confirmed what you probably already know: those children who watched more television during kindergarten and first grade, and who also ate fewer meals with their families, tended to be overweight by third grade. In fact, 17% of the children in this sample were overweight in third grade.

Interestingly, the amount of opportunities for exercise and the parents' perception of their neighborhood's safety had no effect on children's risk of overweight.

What this means for you

We know that childhood and adolescent overweight tends to mean overweight and obese adults. Current guidelines suggest no more than 2 hours of screen time (either television, videos, or video games) per night. Plus, kids who eat meals with their family tend to have healthier diets. Try one of these kid-friendly recipes today: Creamy Mac 'n' Cheese, Oven Fried Chicken, or Pepperoni Pizza.

First posted: February 9, 2007