Turn Off TV to Improve Children’s Health – for Life

SAN DIEGO, April 20 /PRNewswire/ — For parents, National TV-Turnoff Week (April 23-29) isn’t just about spending less time in front of the tube. It’s about making a change to improve their children’s health for life. That’s the view of RealAge.com, the leading personalized healthy lifestyle Web site.

Too much TV-and other screen time with computers, video games and movies- has been linked to adult obesity, poor body image and high cholesterol. Scientific studies reveal that limiting screen time in childhood increases the probability that a child will grow into an adult with a healthy BMI, and a RealAge that’s up to six years younger than their birthday age.

Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, RealAge.com Parenting Expert and author of Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children, cites further studies revealing that, “kids who eat in front of the TV tend to consume fewer fruits and veggies, more snack foods and soda and ultimately, more calories. What’s more, the average child watches 20,000 TV commercials per year, most commonly for sugar-laden cereals, candies and sodas as well as fat-packed snack foods-inevitably influencing their choices.”

Turning off the TV is optimal, but when that’s just not doable, Dr. Jen’s rule of thumb is that kids should not have more than two hours of “screen time” including TV, computer, video games and movies per day. She also advocates that kids need one hour of heart-pumping activity each day to elevate their pulse (i.e., not simply standing in left field).

   Dr. Jen offers some tips for regulating TV time:      —  Plan ahead: Choose programs together with your child then turn off         the TV before the next show begins. Similarly, choose one DVD or one         video game with an agreed-upon time limit.      —  Watch together: Help your child understand what he or she sees and         hears, including ads and music lyrics.      —  Hide the remote: It’s harder to mindlessly channel surf without one.      —  Minimize sets: Allow one or two TVs in the house, never in a child’s         room or near eating areas.   

On the RealAge.com Parenting Center, Dr. Jen supports parents in their quest to raise healthy children through the RealAge Healthy Kids Test and Parenting Style Quiz. Together, these free online assessments generate awareness about a variety of health habits in children, and use the RealAge metric to give parents an estimate in years as to how a change in behavior now can affect their child’s health later. They also help parents identify their parenting style in order to model good behavior and apply RealAge’s habit- fixing framework to instill good health habits in their children. Based on the results of the test, each parent/child team receives personalized recommendations and solutions. The RealAge Healthy Kids Test and solutions rely on well-established scientific research and are held up to strict review by the RealAge Scientific Advisory Board.

For more information about National TV-Turnoff Week, the RealAge.com Parenting Center and Good Kids, Bad Habits-the RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children by Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, visit RealAge.com/parenting.

About RealAge.com

RealAge.com provides the knowledge, motivation, and confidence to help people achieve their health and wellness goals. The site features the patented RealAge Test, the most widely used method for measuring overall health. Over 17 million people have measured their RealAge and received a personalized, science-based plan to make their RealAge younger. RealAge.com also features over 40 additional health-risk assessments, health tips, and information, and is the official online home of the best-selling RealAge and YOU book series.

About Your RealAge

Your RealAge is the biological age of your body, based on lifestyle, genetics, and medical history. Depending on how well you take care of yourself, your RealAge might be years younger-or older-than the calendar indicates. Calculate your RealAge by taking the free RealAge Test at RealAge.com.

RealAge.com

CONTACT: Jennifer Perciballi, +1-212-377-2088, JPerciballi@RealAge.com

Web site: http://www.realage.com/