Study says obesity not tied to TV

March 24, 2007

A British researcher says television and video games are not to blame for childhood obesity.

Stuart Biddle, professor of exercise and sport psychology at Loughborough University, says the real problem may be that children are being driven to school instead of riding their bikes and walking, the London Telegraph reported.

A study of more than 1,500 12- to 16-year-olds found that teenagers who spend more time than average in front of the television are just as active as those who do not, he said. The teens watched the most television in the three hours after school.

Biddle said the teenagers who weren't not active during the three hours up to around 6:30p.m. were probably not going to be very active overall.

The 12-to-16-year-olds spent an average of about 40 minutes a day "in motorized transport," the newspaper said.

"If you look at the decline in walking and cycling among children it is far more dramatic than any changes in TV watching trends," Biddle said.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International


print this article email this article download pdf blog this article bookmark this article     Stumble it Digg this share on Facebook retweet share on Reddit add to delicious
Rate this story - 3 /5 (2 votes)


March 24, 2007 all stories

Comments: 0

3 /5 (2 votes)
  • Stumble this up

  • Digg this

  • share this

  • hide
  • Related Stories




  • hide
  • Relevant PhysicsForums posts

Other News

Nuclear science to fight sleeping sickness

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 1hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday announced an agreement to help African nations battle the tsetse fly, the main carrier of parasites that causes sleeping sickness with its bites.


A costly diagnosis: Alzheimer's disease takes toll on memories, and money too

Medicine & Health / Health

created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Alzheimer's disease takes a devastating emotional toll on families but it also is one of the most expensive conditions to treat because of its progressive nature, requiring increasing assistance with eating, bathing and other ...


eye

Over-the-counter eye drops raise concern over antibiotic resistance

Medicine & Health / Medications

created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The use of antibiotic eye drops for conjunctivitis has increased by almost half since they became available over the counter at chemists in 2005, data obtained by Oxford University researchers ...


Hyperactivity associated with short sleep-time for young boys: study

Hyperactivity associated with short sleep-time for young boys: study

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Hyperactive boys don't get enough sleep, which can worsen their condition according to new research. Published in the November issue of Pediatrics, the study is the first to examine a larg ...


School closure could reduce swine flu transmission by 21 percent

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A survey carried out in eight European countries has shown that closing schools in the event of an infectious disease pandemic could have a significant role in reducing illness transmission. Researchers writing in the open ...