NEW YORK — Overweight children may be more inclined to get outside and get moving when their TV time depends on it, a new study shows.
Researchers found that when parents made TV and video games a reward for exercise, their overweight children increased their physical activity by 65 percent. The plan also cut children’s TV time by nearly two hours a day, and reduced their snacking.
According to the study authors, the findings suggest that by changing household rules, “committed and motivated” families can help their overweight children get moving and shed pounds.
The researchers, led by Dr. Gary S. Goldfield of the University of Ottawa in Canada, report the results in the journal Pediatrics.
Experts believe that the growing problem of childhood obesity has much to do with the increasing amount of time kids are spending in front of TV and computer screens — often with high-calorie snacks in hand.
Goldfield and his colleagues were interested in what would happen if children’s TV time was contingent upon exercise time.
The researchers randomly assigned 30 overweight 8- to 12-year-olds to one of two groups: an intervention group where the children won TV and video game time by exercising; or a “control” group in which children were encouraged to exercise but could watch TV when they wanted.
The intervention required some technological help. Children wore small monitors that gauged their activity levels, and the family TV was outfitted with a device that prevented it from being turned on unless “tokens” were inserted.
Children won these tokens by exercising; when they got the equivalent of roughly one hour of moderate walking, they earned an hour of TV.
After eight weeks, children in this group had bumped up their overall activity levels by nearly two-thirds, and were getting 10 extra minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each day. In contrast, children in the control group showed only a small change in overall exercise levels.
The change in the intervention group’s TV viewing was even greater, the researchers found. On average, these children were spending about 45 minutes a day in front of the TV, versus nearly three hours at the beginning of the study.
Along with that reduction came a decline in snacking, which lowered the children’s overall intake of calories and fat. This finding, the researchers note, supports the notion that excessive TV time promotes weight gain not just by making kids sedentary, but also by encouraging them to snack more.
Making TV contingent upon exercise, they conclude, could help overweight children improve both their exercise and eating habits.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, July 2006.
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