Take Note: Watching TV increases children’s desire for sweetened drinks by 50% CHILDREN who spend a lot of time watching television consume more fizzy drinks, according to new research. For every hour they stare at the screen, the chance they will consume sweetened drinks in large amounts increases by 50 per cent, a study at the University of Gothenburg revealed. Parents who don’t try to curb the number of TV adverts their children watch are twice as likely to have children that consume such beverages every week. It could be down to exposure to adverts, say researchers – or simply that children enjoyed these drinks while watching TV. The study found children with higher exposure to food adverts on TV were more likely to consume sweetened beverages on a regular basis (posed by model). The parents of more than 1,700 two-to four-year-olds were asked to respond to questions about their children’s TV and screen habits and consumption of sweetened drinks. About one parent in seven indicated that they tried to reduce their children’s exposure to TV adverts. The same parents stated that their children were less prone to drink soft drinks and other sweetened beverages. Researcher Stina Olafsdottir said: “The children who watched more TV were more likely to drink these beverages. In fact, each additional hour in front of the TV increased the likelihood of regular consumption by 50 per cent. A similar link was found for total screen time.” The study also found that children with higher exposure to food adverts on TV were more likely to consume sweetened beverages on a regular basis in a follow-up study conducted two years after the initial study. But the authors say that exposure to TV adverts could not explain the link between TV habit and beverage consumption entirely, adding it is likely that the TV programmes watched also matter or that children simply enjoy drinking these types of beverages while watching TV. What is clear is that there is a very clear link between children’s television habits and their consumption of sweetened drinks. A British Medical Journal (BMJ) study revealed in 2004 that energy imbalance is the primary reason for excessive weight gain. Fizzy drinks with a high sugar content are a major contributing factor – they are packed with sugar and are nutritionally deficient. Making small changes in the amount of energy consumed via sugary drinks are well documented as having a major impact on obesity risks. Over the past 10 years, the World Health Organisation has attempted to standardise the acceptable daily intake of free sugars – the kind found in sweetened, carbonated drinks. chopandquench/?p=562 via Chop And Quench Food Blog
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 15:59:55 +0000
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