Children who have TVs in their bedrooms are more likely to be overweight than those who do not," BBC News reports. A UK study found a link between children having a TV in their room and an increased risk of obesity.
Researchers followed children from seven to 11 years old to see whether the number of hours watching TV, playing on the computer or having a TV in the bedroom influenced the risk of having higher body fat in a couple of years.
It found that, compared to children who didn't have a TV in their bedroom at age seven, children who did had a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) and body fat at the age of 11. The association was higher for girls than boys.
Although this is an interesting study with potentially useful findings, it cannot prove there is a direct connection between using screens and body weight. But it would seem plausible that at least some children who spend a lot of time staring at a screen are not meeting the recommended levels for physical activity.
Almost a fifth of UK children are obese. As the study itself puts it: "Ironically, while our screens have become flatter, our children have become fatter."
Read more advice about helping your child to become more active and what to do if you are worried your child is overweight.
Being overweight may not be as unhealthy as it was 40 years ago," BBC News reports. New research has found a body mass index (BMI) of 27 is linked to the lowest rate of death – but someone with a BMI of 27 is currently classed as being overweight. BMI is a score calculated by dividing your weight (usually in kilograms) by the square of your height (usually in metres and centimetres). Currently, a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is classified as being overweight. Researchers looked at 120,528 people from Copenhagen, recruited from 1976 to 2013, and separately compared those recruited during the 1970s, 1990s and 2000s. They were followed up until they died, emigrated, or the study finished. The BMI linked to the lowest risk of having died from any cause was 23.7 in the 1970s group, 24.6 in the 1990s group, and had further risen to 27 in the 2003-13 group. It may be the case that the suggested upward shift in optimal BMI is the result of improvements in preventative treatments for weight-rela...