Energy News  
Too Much TV Linked To Future Fast-Food Intake

The authors found that those high-school kids who watched more than five hours of television per day had a lower intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and calcium-rich foods; and higher intakes of snack foods, fried foods, fast food, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fats five years later..
by Staff Writers
Minneapolis MN (SPX) Feb 06, 2009
High-school kids who watch too much TV are likely to have bad eating habits five years in the future. Research published in BioMed Central's open access International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity followed almost 2000 high- and middle-school children and found that TV viewing times predict a poor diet in the future.

Dr Daheia Barr-Anderson worked with a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota to investigate the relationship between television and diet.

She said, "To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the association between television viewing and diet over the transition from adolescence into young adulthood. We've shown that TV viewing during adolescence predicts poorer dietary intake patterns five years later".

Stronger and more consistent patterns were seen during the transition from high school to young adulthood than during the transition from middle school to high school. Both are critical developmental periods, where lifelong behaviours are formed.

The authors found that those high-school kids who watched more than five hours of television per day had a lower intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and calcium-rich foods; and higher intakes of snack foods, fried foods, fast food, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fats five years later.

According to Barr-Anderson, "These less than healthy foodstuffs are commonly advertised on television while healthy foods rarely receive the same publicity. Although young people may be aware that many foods advertised on television are not healthy, they may chose to ignore or do not fully realize the consequences, because the actors they see advertising and eating the foods in the commercials are usually not overweight".

Barr-Anderson and her colleagues have called for action to tackle television adverts for food and drinks.

They say, "The potential negative impacts of advertising and marketing campaigns on dietary quality and purchasing behavior show that, as well as devising interventions to reduce television viewing time, we need to promote healthy food choices, in general and while watching television, to overcome harmful media influences".

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
University of Minnesota
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Fish-dependent countries face climate change threat: study
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Feb 6, 2009
Climate change poses a grave threat to dozens of countries where people depend on fish for food, according to a study published Friday that said catches are imperilled by coastal storms and damage to coral reefs.







  • Analysis: Brazil moving on oil legislation
  • Analysis: Nigerian oil strike imminent?
  • Analysis: Manas, energy and the U.S.
  • Attack on oil facility off Nigeria kills one: navy

  • Sweden reverses decision to phase out nuclear power
  • Finnish Fortum seeks permit for a new nuclear reactor
  • China eyes massive hike in atomic energy target: state media
  • France's Areva signs nuclear reactor accord with India

  • Science In The Stratosphere
  • Americans Owe Five Months Of Their Lives To Cleaner Air
  • Does Global Warming Lead To A Change In Upper Atmospheric Transport
  • Greenhouse gas emissions study released

  • Climate change threatens Lebanon's legendary cedars
  • Brazilian Indians fleeing bulldozers: group
  • Congo must do more for forests: NGO
  • Leftist groups meeting in Brazil call for Amazon protection

  • Too Much TV Linked To Future Fast-Food Intake
  • How A Brain Chemical Changes Locusts From Harmless Grasshoppers To Swarming Pests
  • Fish-dependent countries face climate change threat: study
  • Crop-eating caterpillars 'worse' than army worms: Liberia

  • Tesla shifts electric sedan site to win US government loan
  • Toyota Eco-Friendly Dealerships Lead In Environmental Construction
  • Development Center For Hybrid And Electric Vehicle Battery Systems
  • California applauds Obama environmental measures

  • Shanghai Airlines seeks capital injection
  • China Eastern may take three years to be profitable: chairman
  • First China-assembled Airbus set for May test flight: report
  • New Airbus joint-venture with China announced

  • Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2
  • Nuclear Power In Space
  • Outside View: Nuclear future in space

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement