Watching TV as a kid linked to high blood pressure and obesity as an adult: Study

LTC Eugene Chu
..."Families can increase their level of physical activity by spending time in parks, experts say, or incorporating activity into daily tasks. "Instead of driving, a parent can walk with their child to school or commute to work by foot. Some communities have sidewalks," says Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Center of Weight Management and Metabolic Clinical Research at Weill Cornell Medicine. "Anything besides sitting on the couch or sitting in a room watching a screen."

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With screens involved in all parts of our lives, screen time does not always have to be a bad thing for children, experts say. Developmentally appropriate educational programs, talking to family over video chat and exercise videos have benefits for families.

"Watching something with high-quality educational content that is engaging or FaceTiming with grandparents is going to have a different level of engagement and stimulation versus passively watching television shows in the background," says Velazquez.

Screens have also evolved over time, from having two channels that did not have 24-hour programming to now we have many different screens at all times of the day, Hancox says. "It's the dose that makes a difference. The dose of TV and screen time we're having at the moment, from a physical health and probably mental health point of view is clearly a bad thing when we're doing too much.""

When I went to school participation in Phys Ed was mandatory. It hasn’t been mandatory for many years. This is a contributing factor.

Screen time in general is a problem. The snacking of absolute garbage is a problem. Parents allowing both to happen is a problem.