Turning Off TV Helps Kids Stay Slimmer

Help your kids stay slimmer with just the flip of a switch: Turn off the television. Researchers have found a strong correlation between weight gain and time spent in front of the idiot box.

According to national data, about 31 percent of children are overweight or obese. Theoretically, that number could be significantly decreased if TV watching were replaced with active playtime.

“This study is an important piece of evidence that reducing TV hours is a powerful weight gain prevention strategy parents can use to help prevent excess weight gain among their children by changing the home environment and household television viewing norms,” said lead author Simone A. French, Ph.D.