Does your child have a TV in their bedroom? It could be causing them to gain weight. Two new studies have shown how technology can impact your child's level of obesity.
"In an age of widespread childhood and adolescent obesity, technology is clearly the proverbial double-edged sword," said David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, in an interview with WebMD. "On the one edge, technological innovation and screen time, in particular, is associated with sedentariness and weight gain. But then there is the other edge: Technology can be used to encourage activity."
The first study examined 75 children who were deemed overweight or obese who ranged in ages from 10 to 12. These children were split into two groups; one group was given a game console with a motion capture device that encouraged physical activity while the other group was given less active games to play. In the end, those in the active gaming group had 50 percent greater reduction in relative weight and BMI and were more active overall, according to The Huffington Post.
Yet while technology can encourage activity, it can also discourage it. Another study revealed that TVs could impact a child's obesity level. The researchers actually found that children with a TV in their bedroom, no matter how much TV they were watching, had more weight gain than children who didn't have a TV in their bedroom, according to Common Health. In fact, children with TVs gained an extra pound per year.
"It's well known that kids who continue to watch TV while the parents are already in bed will have disrupted sleep patterns," said Diane Gilbert-Diamond, one of the researchers, in an interview with WebMD. "We know that increases weight."
The findings reveal how technology can drastically impact a child's weight-whether in a positive or negative way. By using tools to keep kids active, parents and caretakers can curb the tide of obesity in teens and children.
