Speaking of junk food and television commercials, I just read about a new UCLA School of Public Health study published in the American Journal of Public Health, linking childhood obesity to junk food television commercials.
According to the authors Frederick J. Zimmerman and Janice F. Bell, the findings strongly suggest that keeping children away from commercial television may help reduce childhood obesity, especially because food is the most commonly advertised product on children’s television, and almost 90 percent of children begin watching television regularly before the age of 2.
By the time children are 5 years old, they have seen an average of more than 20,000 television commercials. Most of these ads, up to 95 percent – are for junk food and according to the research, commercial television pushes children to eat a large quantity of those foods they should consume least: sugary cereals, snacks, fast food and soda pop. Now, that is something to chew on.
As a mother of two, I understand how hard it can be to keep your kids active during the cold winter months, and yes, I have been guilty of turning on the television in a bind. To avoid too much television time, we watch educational shows “on demand.” (My daughter is a big fan of Yo Gabba Gabba). But, still – we make sure she has less than an hour of “screen time” a day.
For some great ideas on how to turn off the television and keep your child healthy, happy and active, visit www.MightyTimoneers.com or request a free activity guide today.
Learn more about the work that we have done to prevent childhood obesity and keep our children healthy.
Mighty Timoneers Activity Guide
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