When It Comes to Childhood Obesity, Who’s In Charge?
As a doctor of chiropractic who sees the musculoskeletal stress that childhood obesity is causing on young bodies, I feel obliged to talk to share this anecdote: Did you hear about the parents who discovered that as parents they could actually teach their children good habits? No? Well, that’s not surprising because many parents these days act as though children are in charge of themselves, especially when it comes to when and how long to watch television. Because inactivity is a big contributing factor to childhood obesity, experts in industrialized countries around the world are looking for ways to help parents to keep their children active and away from the television. One new study found that parents who employ a physical activity and/or dietary intervention can reduce their overweight child’s screen time by nearly one hour per day.
Youth in this country, ages 8 to 18, spend an average of seven hours, 38 minutes each day using entertainment media such as a television and computer. Obviously, the more time a child spends in sedentary behaviors, the less time he or she has to be active. So, come on, parents, give your kids something better to do. You really are in charge!
Source: American College of Sports Medicine
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