Probing Question: Does eating while watching TV harm kids?

Fixing a plate of animal crackers and a glass of milk for your little one to snack on while watching Dora the Explorer or Bob the Builder sounds harmless, doesn't it? After all, eating in front of the TV is part of our American lifestyle.

But kids would be better off not picking up this habit, believe Penn State researchers Lori Francis and Leann Birch. "Mealtime should be a time for family growth and development," said Francis, assistant professor of biobehavioral health. She discourages even letting children snack in front of the TV.

TV interferes with the natural cues children's bodies send them about whether they are full, explained Francis, and can lead them to overeat or undereat. "In this culture we're living in," she said, "it's so important that kids get clear messages about food and healthy eating. Anything that distracts them interferes with a learning opportunity and their ability to pay attention to what their bodies are saying."

About 16 percent of U.S. children are overweight, an increase of 45 percent in 10 years, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Francis and Birch, distinguished professor of human development and family studies, are exploring whether there is a connection between TV-watching and childhood obesity.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in April, Francis and Birch looked at 24 children from 3 to 5 years old. Their mothers were well-educated, in their mid-30s and their families had a mean household income of more than $50,000. The children watched an average of 1.5 hours of TV daily, the moms reported.

Francis and Birch observed the children periodically over six weeks as they ate snacks and lunch, half the time while watching TV and half the time not. The pre-schoolers watched a 22-minute cartoon video that had nothing to do with food.

Watching TV led the children to eat slightly less of their snacks and about 47 percent less of their lunch than they did while not watching TV, the researchers report. This finding surprised Francis, because studies on adults have linked eating while watching with overeating, and other studies on children have linked it with higher body weights.

But in some cases the children ate more. Specifically, those whose mothers said they typically watched more than 1.5 hours of TV daily ate more while watching TV under observation than they did without the TV.

"Children who are given opportunities to eat while watching TV may become less sensitive to internal cues to satiety," Francis and Birch concluded.

They continue to explore explanations for the obesity epidemic. "Kids who watch TV are more likely to be obese," said Francis. "Is it because of the lack of physical activity or because of their intake?"

It's difficult to pinpoint socioeconomic factors that may explain the epidemic, said Francis, however some studies have shown that African-American and Hispanic children report watching more TV daily than Caucasian children.

Francis acknowledged that it's difficult for parents to break the link between TV-watching and food, particularly when kids spend nearly 20 hours a week in front of the tube.

But establishing and enforcing a no-eating-while-watching rule is possible, said Francis, "once people understand how important it is to have family meal times or to use that time as a learning opportunity between parents and kids."

Source: By Lisa Duchene, Research/Penn State

Related stories:

Move over Galileo, it's Science 2.0
In a provocative article in this week’s Science Magazine, the University of Maryland’s Ben Shneiderman, one of the world’s leading researchers and innovators in human-computer interaction, says it’s time for the laboratory research that has defined science for the last 400 years to make room for a revolutionary new method of scientific discovery.
Genes linked to suicidal thinking during antidepressant treatment
Specific variations in two genes are linked to suicidal thinking that sometimes occurs in people taking the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants, according to a large study led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Depending on the particular mix inherited, these versions increased the likelihood of such thoughts from 2- to15-fold, the study found. About 1 percent of adult patients were deemed to be at high genetic risk, 41 percent at elevated risk and 58 percent at lower risk.
Scientists invent novel hydrogels for repairing, regenerating human tissue
University of Delaware scientists have invented a novel biomaterial with surprising antibacterial properties that can be injected as a low-viscosity gel into a wound where it rigidifies nearly on contact--opening the door to the possibility of delivering a targeted payload of cells and antibiotics to repair the damaged tissue.
No Satisfaction Zaps Motivation, Psychologist Says
You can't always get what you want, as the song goes, but if a Florida State University researcher's new theory on motivation holds true, you may not want it anymore anyway.
Genetic roots of bipolar disorder revealed by first genome-wide study of illness
The likelihood of developing bipolar disorder depends in part on the combined, small effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself, a new study shows. However, targeting the enzyme produced by one of these genes could lead to development of new, more effective medications.
Conception date affects baby's future academic achievement
Does the time of year in which a child is conceived influence future academic achievement? Yes, according to research by neonatologist Paul Winchester, M.D., Indiana University School of Medicine professor of clinical pediatrics. Dr. Winchester, who studied 1,667,391 Indiana students, presents his finding on May 7 at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting.
Model Predicts Colon Cancer Inheritable Genetic Defects
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University and other institutions have developed a new prediction model for genetic defects known as Lynch syndrome, which predisposes families to develop colorectal cancer.
Bees can recognize human faces, study finds
Honeybees may look pretty much all alike to us. But it seems we may not look all alike to them. A study has found that they can learn to recognize human faces in photos, and remember them for at least two days.

News discussion:

Medicine & Health news