health
AAP policy cites need to monitor children's media use
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 11, 2011
To help curb childhood obesity, pediatricians should ask parents how much time their child spends each day with screen media, which includes watching television and using a computer.
They also should inquire about whether there is a television or an unrestricted and unmonitored Internet connection in the house, says an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement published online June 27 in Pediatrics.
The statement says watching television could be contributing to childhood obesity by increasing sedentary activity, interfering with normal sleep patterns and promoting unhealthy eating through advertisements and other programming (link).
The AAP recommends that pediatricians counsel parents on limiting their children's noneducational screen time to no more than two hours a day and to not place televisions and Internet connections in their bedrooms. Physicians also should encourage parents to discuss food advertising with their children and teach them about appropriate nutrition.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/07/11/hlbf0711.htm.
