Kids' TV Viewing Tied to Behaviora...(r factors such as income and parental i...),Health

Date:10/1/2007

r factors such as income and "parental involvement," they found that kids who watched two or more hours of TV daily at both ages were more likely to suffer from sleep, attention and aggressive behavior problems, and "externalizing of problem behaviors." Also, those who watched more TV over time had greater problems dealing with others.

But those children who reduced TV watching between the two ages didn't have a greater likelihood of either social or behavioral problems.

The researchers also found that kids with TVs in their bedrooms were more likely to have sleeping problems.

The findings are published in the October issue of Pediatrics.

The structure of the study didn't allow the researchers to say how much more likely kids were to have problems depending on their viewing habits, Mistry said. She added that it's not a cause-and-effect study. It's possible that behavioral and social problems may contribute to TV viewing, not the other way around, she said.

The study also didn't look at whether the children were watching educational programming, like "Sesame Street," or other programs, such as those geared toward adults.

"I hesitate to say TV is horrible," Mistry said, "but excessive amounts of any activity is probably not good."

Madeline A. Dalton, director of the Hood Center for Families and Children at Dartmouth Medical School, said she's not sure that reducing heavy early exposure to TV will eliminate the risk of problems. She thinks more research is needed to determine that and to figure out if it's possible that "parents may be more likely to sit their children in front of the TV if they have behavioral problems."

However, "time spent watching TV is likely to reduce the amount of time children spend interacting with adults and other children," Dalton said. "Therefore, it is not surprising that this may have an impact on ability to interact socially."

She added:
'/>"/>

Copyright©2007 ScoutNews,LLC. All rights reserved

0 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. Researchers Scale to assess the Severity of Epilepsy in Kids
2. Snoring May Be Sign of Asthma in Kids
3. Toxin connected to Flesh-eating Pneumonia in Kids
4. Healthy snacks improve nutrition of kids
5. Kids not getting enough Physical Exercise
6. Helping Kids Attain a Healthy Weight
7. Folic Acid helps Kids with Diabetes
8. Sleep Apnea Linked to Bed-Wetting in Kids
9. Easier Dialysis for Kids
10. Nitrous Oxide for Kids
11. Few Parents Help Kids Fight Acne