Children who spend a lot of time watching television have higher blood pressure than those who watch less, according to researchers at Michigan State University.

Children who spend a lot of time watching television have higher blood pressure than those who watch less even if the children are thin and get enough exercise, according to new research published in an article in New York Times August 2009.

"Extensive TV viewing may have harmful physiological effects because children often snack while watching TV, or perhaps because the programs are distressing to them," suggested Joey Eisenmann, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University and the paper’s senior author. "Watching TV late at night may cut into sleep time or disrupt sleep," he added; it’s also possible that watching television reduces the body’s metabolic rate more than other sedentary activities.

“As parents, we have to help our children develop a healthy and positive life style,” thinks Oystein Samnoen, Director of Kids and Media. “It´s an important and challenging parental job to develop good media habits at home. It´s about developing an ability to be sensible about what you choose to see, when you see it and how much TV you watch. Children very quickly adopt our media habits, and it´s therefore important that we ourselves are aware of what we model for our children. They usually learn more from what we do than what we say,” says Samnoen.

Earlier studies have found associations between television viewing and obesity, which is linked to higher blood pressure. But the new report suggests a more direct relationship between extensive TV watching and increases in blood pressure, the authors said according to New York Times.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children watch no more than two hours of high quality television each day.

The study was published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine:

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/163/8/724

Read the whole article:

New York Times
Television Viewing Linked to Blood Pressure Increases in Children

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