Gloria DeGaetano - Screen Time and Obesity

Screen Time and Obesity (cont.)

All of this is sobering news. Yet, there is hope on the horizon if parents take this information to heart. The daily decision parents make each day begin to add up on the side of lots of positives for children’s optimal health when screen time is reduced and other appropriate activities are increased.

Making a change, even a small step in the right direction goes a long way to improving children’s well being and their future adult health, as well.

Parents: Begin Today to Reduce Screen Time and Do More of:
1. Eating together as a family.
Kids make healthier food choices when they eat with mom or dad! One research study even demonstrated that families who eat dinner together with the television off eat more fruits and vegetables than those who eat separately or eat a family dinner with the television on. (7)

2. Exercising together as a family.
Family bike rides, hikes, walks in a local park or other movement activities not only support the child’s or teen’s needs for movement but also provide powerful models for valuing exercise as an integral part of daily life.

3. Giving your child/teen opportunities to exercise.

Perhaps it’s not safe for the kids to go outside by themselves? Jumping rope in the garage, bouncing on an old re-bounder or shooting hoops right outside the kitchen window with the lights on are ways to think “out of the fear box,” keeping kids safe and at the same time encouraging movement. But also give children and teens time outside as you can. A great place to get good ideas is www.greenhour.org. Sponsored by the Wildlife Foundation, this site is described as “the parents’ place for nature, play, and learning” with lots of terrific ideas for family outdoor activities. Yes, we can use screen-machines in the service of our children’s optimal health!

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