Want healthier, smarter teens: Ditch the bedroom TV!

by William Atkins

Friday, 18 April 2008

Page 1 of 2 ! A University of Minnesota study has found that older adolescents who have televisions in their bedrooms watched more TV, ate more sugary drinks and fewer vegetables, exercised less, and did worse in school than those without the “boob tube” in their bedrooms. The Minnesota researchers wanted to know what effect bedroom televisions had on older adolescents with respect to their personal, behavioral, and sociodemographic characteristics. So, they studied 781 adolescents in the United States, with a mean age of 17.2 years, who had previously completed a questionnaire called Project Eating Among Teens II, which was mailed to each participant. Of the 781 subjects, 62% (almost two-thirds) had televisions in their bedrooms. It was found that whether teenagers had TVs in their bedroom or not was associated with such traits as socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and age. Specifically, young females with bedroom TVs spent, on average, only 1.8 hours per week in vigorous activity, compared to 2.5 hours each week for girls without bedroom TVs. Girls also spent more time watching television if they had a TV in their bedroom: 20.7 hours versus 15.2 hours per week, when compared to those girls without a TV in the bedroom. In addition, girls with bedroom TVs: Ate fewer vegetables each day (1.7 versus 2.0 servings) than girls without TVs. Drank more sweetened beverages each day (1.2 versus 1.0 servings). Spent less time at the family dinner table each week (2.9 versus 3.7 meals). Boys did not fare any better with TVs in the bedroom. Adolescent males with a bedroom television also reported spending more time watching TV: 22.2 hours per week versus 18.2, than those boys without bedroom TVs. The young males also had lower fruit intake (1.7 versus 2.2 servings per day); ate fewer family meals (2.9 versus 3.6 meals per week), and had lower grade point average (2.6 versus 2.9) than their counterparts who did not have TVs in their bedrooms. What are the conclusions of the study? Please read on. << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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