Watching TV puts children at the greatest risk of obesity in comparison to other downtime activities, a study has found.
Whether the child is playing video games, is eating, or on a computer has more of an impact on their weight than the duration of their sitting time, it claimed.
Researchers said there is an urgency to change the behaviours of inactive or overweight children before it’s too late.
As many as one in five children start school in the UK being overweight or obese, and one in five 6 to 19-year-olds are obese in the US.
In Australia, the figures are starker, where almost a quarter of children aged 5-17 years are considered overweight or obese.
Watching TV puts children at the greatest risk of obesity in comparison to other downtime activities such as video gaming, a study has found
The study at the University of South Australia assessed the sedentary behaviours of 234 Australian children aged 10 to 13 years who either were of a healthy weight (74 boys, 56 girls) or classified as obese (56 boys, 48 girls).
It investigated the impact of different sitting behaviours – watching television, playing video games, playing computer, sitting down to eat, or traveling in a car.
It found that, excluding sleep, children spent more than 50 per cent of their day sitting, with television dominating their time for two to three hours each day.
They found that watching TV is more strongly associated with obesity in both boys and girls than any other type of sitting.
And boys tend to be fatter than girls and also spend more time in front of their screens.
‘It’s no surprise that the more inactive a child is, the greater their risk of being overweight,’ Dr Margarita Tsiros, the lead researcher, said.
‘But not all sedentary behaviours are created equal when it comes to children’s weight. This research suggests that how long children spend sitting may be less important that what they do when they are sitting.
‘For instance, some types of sitting are more strongly associated with body fat in children than others, and time spent watching TV seems to be the worst culprit.’
Although this was the case for both genders, the study also found differences between the sitting behaviours of boys and girls.
In boys only, prolonged bouts of sedentary behaviour and time spent playing video games or on the computer were positively linked with obesity.
‘Boys not only watched more TV than girls – an extra 37 minutes per day – but also spent significantly more time playing video games,’ Dr Tsiros said.
‘Video gaming and computer use are popular past times, but our data suggest these activities may be linked with higher body fat in boys.
‘Boys who are sitting for longer than 30 minutes may also have higher body fat, so it’s important to monitor their screen and sitting time and ensure they take regular breaks.’
One of the key findings was that girls engaging in more non-screen sedentary behaviours may have lower obesity.
Although there was no direct link between TV time and obesity, the strong association highlighted the importance of setting children up for healthy habits at an early age – obese children are significantly more likely to become obese adults.
Dr Tsiros said: ‘An overweight child is more likely to grow up into an overweight adult, so the importance of tackling unhealthy behaviours in childhood is critical.
‘Children who are obese have an increased risk of developing serious health disorders, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.
‘They may also experience reduced wellbeing, social and self-esteem issues, along with pain and difficulties with movement and activity.
‘By understanding children’s sedentary behaviours – especially those that are placing our kids at risk – we’ll ensure they stay on a better path towards a healthier weight.’
It comes after research last week found that sitting in front of the TV for as little as one hour a day can increase the risk of bowel cancer in young people.
Those who lazed in front of the TV for two hours a day or more had nearly a 70 per cent increased risk, the study, led by Dr Long Nguyen at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, found.
The recommended guidelines for childhood activity levels in the UK is being met by 23 per cent of boys and 20 per cent of girls, according to the most recent 2015 figures.